(Providence, RI) -- Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is being accused of ducking questions about a Newport club he belongs to. Local NAACP leaders want Whitehouse to explain why he belongs to the all-white Bailey's Beach club. Providence NAACP official Noel Frias wonders if Whitehouse is using blacks as a stepping stone to higher office. Whitehouse recently told GoLocal it would be nice if Bailey's changed a little bit, but he prefers to take up the issue with club leadership in private.