ELCA Reconsiders, Will Assign Rooms at St. Louis Adam's Mark Hotel

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In light of the settlement of lawsuits charging the Adam's Mark Hotel chain with racial discrimination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced it has reconsidered and will assign participants and staff in this summer's Youth Gathering to the Adam's Mark Hotel in St. Louis.
The Adam's Mark is among 38 hotels that will be used to house ELCA Youth Gathering attendees.
On March 21, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the Adam's Mark hotel chain will pay $8 million in exchange for dismissal of the lawsuits. The hotel chain also agreed to take extensive measures to prevent discrimination at its facilities.
The Justice Department's suit, filed in December 1999, said the chain engaged in a pattern of racial discrimination. In addition, five African American vacationers brought a class action suit against the chain, claiming they had been singled out as security risks at a Black College Reunion weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla. The plaintiffs said White guests had not been treated as they had.
At a March 21 news conference, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said the settlement agreement "will ensure that every guest is treated equally and fairly."
Earlier this year the ELCA announced it would not assign Youth Gathering participants or staff to the Adam's Mark Hotel in St. Louis, nor would it use meeting facilities there. The ELCA considered the Justice Department's charges serious and did not want the racial discrimination issue to mar the Youth Gathering or create an uncomfortable situation for participants, said the Rev. William H. Kees, director of the ELCA Youth Gathering, Chicago.
The Youth Gathering is expected to draw 45,000 participants and staff to St. Louis during two events, scheduled for June 28 to July 2 and July 5 to 9. As a designated hotel, the Adam's Mark agreed to make 700 guest rooms and some meeting rooms available for each of the Youth Gathering events, Kees said.
In a letter that will be sent to Youth Gathering participants, Kees said he was pleased to report the resolution of the lawsuits and that the ELCA reconsidered its earlier stance on the matter.
"We have reviewed the entire settlement agreement and are satisfied that it ensures nondiscriminatory treatment of all guests and groups utilizing the hotel, including the Gathering," Kees said. Youth Gathering organizers are now assigning groups to all designated hotels in St. Louis, including the Adam's Mark, he said.
Kees said the youth are coming to St. Louis "so that they may have an uplifting experience of fellowship and worship, faith and praise to God."
"The ELCA is dedicated to advocating dignity and justice for all people," Kees said earlier this year. "It is primary to this church's mission to discover and to address oppression and injustice in order to further the cause of human dignity, freedom and equality."
The Adam's Mark settlement agreement calls for the chain to pay $1.5 million for Florida to distribute among four historically Black colleges in the state. The chain also agreed to promote the annual Black College Reunion in Florida, and it provided financial settlements for guests and visitors who attended the 1999 reunion in Daytona Beach.
Adam's Mark agreed to hire an outside monitor, Project Equality Inc., Kansas City, Mo., to investigate guest complaints, monitor the chain's compliance, design sensitivity training for all employees and develop a marketing plan to attract African American guests to the hotel. The ELCA is a sponsor of Project Equality.
Fred Kummer, president of Adam's Mark, St. Louis, said the chain is committed to taking extra steps to demonstrate it is committed to diversity and equality. He also apologized for any actions that may have made guests feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html