Bay Area Camp Suddenly Closes After Staffers Quit Over Swastika Scandal
A California camp known for being socially and environmentally conscious was abruptly canceled for the entire summer after several staff members quit due to alleged structural racism. ...
“This is the first time in our history that we canceled all Camp programming,” a letter to the Hidden Villa community read Wednesday. “Staffing for Camp has been a challenge over the past several years. In anticipation, we significantly invested in outreach, but still struggled with meeting programmatic needs.”
The letter, which was signed by board chair Peter Hartzell and interim executive director Philip Arca, explained that although the camp had faced staff shortages in recent years, the new wave of resignations came after a disagreement about swastika symbols. ...
Hidden Villa—which is home to a camp, hiking trails, and farm—once belonged to Frank and Josephine Duveneck, according to the camp’s statement. On the couple’s honeymoon to Asia in 1913, they brought back and hung artistic tiles with lotuses and Buddhist symbols, including the swastika, which was later appropriated by the Nazi Party after the first World War to represent white supremacy. ...
“It was brought to the community’s attention that the Buddhist symbols were experienced differently and some individuals experienced harm from their presence on the building. A process to address the issue was identified with Staff and Board,” the letter, which was posted on the camp’s website, read.
According to the letter, the camp held a meeting and decided to remove the symbols from public view on Monday, and they were gone by Tuesday. However, staff members still chose to resign on Sunday—before any action was taken. ...