June 28, 2016•Update: July 05, 2016
NEW YORK
The American Red Cross on Monday issued an apology for a poster it published regarding pool safety that some perceived as racist.
"The American Red Cross appreciates and is sensitive to the concerns raised regarding one of the water safety posters we produced," the aid group said in a statement published online. "We deeply apologize for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone."
The cartoonish poster depicts a pool surrounded by children, and describes those displaying unsafe behavior as “not cool.”
Almost all of the white children, however, are labeled “cool”, while the black children are placed in the “not cool” category.
The posted caused a wave of backlash on social media with some users calling it "racist".
Margaret Sawyer was the first to bring the poster to public attention. When she saw it for the first time in Salida, Colorado, she thought it was outdated, according NBC affiliate KUSA network.
When she saw it again in Fort Morgan, Colorado, she was stunned, according to the television station.
"I saw this one and I just kept thinking 'It looks like they're trying to do something here that shows all kids together of all different backgrounds but they're clearly not hitting the mark,'" Sawyer said.
