Talk:Kenneth Chenault/Archives/2013
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Questions concerning unsourced information about Kenneth Chenault's membership at Westchester Country Club
I noticed that there has been some doubt concerning the authenticity of the new information relating to Kenneth Chenault's membership at Westchester Country Club. I would like to clarify a few issues concerning this matter. Prior to 1990, no private clubs in the United States had members of African-American descent. The legal issue fell under the exclusionary practice of "freedom of association." That same year, the PGA tour was upset about some comments made by the president of Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club, who insisted that the club would "pick and choose who we want." The PGA then stated that it would not hold tournaments at private clubs that practiced racial discrimination. A private club would have to change it bylaws and unwritten rules to admit people of color if they wanted to host a PGA tournament.
Westchester Country Club had been the site of PGA tournaments since 1963, and the club now had to admit black members or lose the Westchester Classic Golf Tournament. As a result, Westchester admitted three black members for the first time in 1990, because they didn't want to lose the glamour, prestige, and money that was associated with the tournament. Kenneth Chenault was one the three members admitted that year, and he has been at the club ever since. That's 23 years ago.
I hope that this clarifies the matter of Kenneth Chenault and Westchester Country Club. It's not possible for me to source this information, but I do know quite a bit about Westchester Country Club, the PGA Tour, and Kenneth Chenault.