When the Maryland Court of Appeals ultimately ruled against the lodge, it moved its facilities out of the city and into Anne Arundel County. While other private clubs in Annapolis changed their policies and began accepting women and African Americans, Lodge #622 chose instead to challenge the ordinance in court. In 1990, Lodge #622’s membership policies again came under scrutiny after Annapolis passed an ordinance that required private clubs to stop discriminating on the basis of race and gender in order to receive liquor licenses. Critics charged that the discrimination was unacceptable when civic associations like the Elks Club reap hefty state and federal tax benefits on the theory that their benevolence programs - like the little league teams - provide value to the community at large. Thirty years ago, the lodge came under fire from the Department of Justice when it refused to allow an 8-year-old African American boy to play on a lodge-sponsored little league football team. Throughout its history, charges of discrimination have plagued the lodge. Under Elks bylaws, in order to become a member of the lodge, a current member in good standing must recommend an applicant. “”We call on the Anne Arundel County Executive and County Council to promulgate a policy that forbids spending taxpayers’ money in any facility that still discriminates in 2003.””Īccording to ACLU attorneys, the Annapolis Elks Lodge #622, which boasts over 1,500 members, celebrates its 100th birthday this year, but has still never had an African American member. “”The Elks Club is a public accommodation that still is not complying with civil rights laws that have been on the books for nearly four decades,”” said Susan Goering, Executive Director of the ACLU of Maryland. BALTIMORE-Citing a local Elks Club’s century-long record of discrimination against African Americans, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and a local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People today urged the Anne Arundel County Fire Department not to hold a county-sponsored banquet at the facility this Thursday.
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