PASADENA : Tournament of Roses Moves to Diversify Membership

The besieged Tournament of Roses this week moved to counter charges that it runs an exclusive club for white men, presenting 107 new members in a welcoming ceremony at Tournament House. The group of new members--48% minority and 46% female--is the largest and most diverse in the organization’s 105-year history.

Tournament officials said they do not know the ethnic or gender makeup of the total 935-member organization, which includes the new members. The private organization runs the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl game.

But Councilman Isaac Richard, a staunch critic of the tournament’s recruitment practices, said the effort was “too little, too late.”