The American Red Cross is under scrutiny after Twitter user, John Sawyer (@JSawyer330) posted a photo of a racist pool safety poster created by the non-profit organization. The poster titled “Be Cool, Follow the Rules”, which has now been removed, aimed to teach children how to behave at the pool.

The issue with the poster isn’t clear at first glance. When you look closer, you see that only the brown and black children are participating in the “not cool” behaviors.

Photo: Twitter via @JSawyer330
Photo: Twitter via @JSawyer330

Somehow, only the white children have the ability to act in a safe manner at the pool.

After Sawyer posted the tweet, the American Red Cross immediately responded via Twitter.

The Red Cross went on to release a statement Monday, confirming that the poster had been removed from its website, partnering aquatic facilities and app.

The American Red Cross appreciates and is sensitive to the concerns raised regarding one of the water safety posters we produced. We deeply apologize for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone. As one of the nation’s oldest and largest humanitarian organizations, we are committed to diversity and inclusion in all that we do, every day.

In the apology, the Red Cross also mentioned efforts to lower the “drowning rate in 50 high-risk communities over a 5-year period by helping to teach at least 50,000 more children and adults to swim”.

Even so, Black Twitter still sounded off.

What do you think about the poster? Let us know in the comments!

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