Pasadena summer camp commits to complete makeover after complaints of racism and cultural appropriation

A summer camp that’s been operating since 1947 and currently enrolls about 400 children is undergoing drastic changes after a social media campaign targeted the camp, accusing it of racism and cultural appropriation.

Camp Shi’ini — as it was known until Friday — has temporarily rebranded as “The Camp.” After a meeting with representatives from local Native American tribes, it’s asking kids who attend to help come up with a new name and theme, which it will debut later this summer.

According to one of the camp’s owners, Peter Kazanjian, commenters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Yelp, and other platforms flooded the camp with complaints Tuesday. But the grievances weren’t limited to cyberspace.

“We couldn’t even make an outbound phone call,” Kazanjian said in a Monday phone interview. “Our email box was full.”

The camp deleted its social media accounts amid the frenzy, but its Yelp page was still active as of Monday afternoon, offering a sample of one-star reviews that were part of the campaign.

“I guess if you want your kid to learn racism this is the camp for you,” a user in Phoenix wrote.

The movement then escalated further: Demonstrators covered the building’s windows with fliers on Wednesday that said “Camp Shi’ini: Teaching children genocide since 1947.” They also distributed zines that explained what cultural appropriation is and why it’s problematic.

The origins of a viral crusade

It all began when Kimberly Robertson, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and an assistant professor at Cal State Los Angeles, dropped her daughter off at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center last week. She saw a bus there for Camp Shi’ini, which included the camp’s teepee logo. The back of the van said, “Chickasaw.”

“That was just the first red flag,” Robertson said in a Monday phone interview. She said the blending of aspects from different Native American tribes across the country — the word “Shi’ini” is Navajo, whose people live in the Southwest; teepees are associated with the nomadic Plains Indians; Chickasaw is a tribe in the Southeast — made it clear the camp had no affiliation with indigenous people.