I have a confession. I am NOT one of the 80% of Americans who say they can swim. I fall more so on the other end of the spectrum. According to the American Red Cross, only 56% of those who say they can swim can actually perform all five basic skills needed to swim safely. That would be me.
The crazy part. I have actually taken swimming lessons. And I learned to swim in less than a week. But unlike riding a bike, those swimming skills don’t come back as easily. That’s especially if you don’t ever get back into the water after your swimming lessons. Go figure.
Racism At The Swimming Pool
Most of the experts will agree it’s likely easier to learn to swim as a kid. Needless to say, I didn’t. And I wasn’t alone. There are still many more Black children who know little or nothing about swimming. The USA Swimming Federation says some 64% of Black kids don’t know how to swim, compared to 40% of White children.
An NPR article by Jeff Wiltse (Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America) explored the history of racism at America’s swimming pools. Wiltse noted that the U.S. built a number of pools in poor, immigrant, and working-class white neighborhoods in the 19th and 20th centuries. But, pools were NOT put in predominantly black neighborhoods.
And it wasn’t until the 1920s and 1930s, there was a boom in pool-building in the United States. Wiltse explained those pools were large, leisure-resort pools. They were accented by grassy lawns and fancy sundecks. For Black Americans, pools were not a thing, especially with segregation in full play. Very few pools were available to Blacks, so most did not have access.
Let Me Swim
Not the case today. Many Black people have gone on to the Olympics for swimming (Cullen Jones, Natalie Hinds, Lia Neal). Plus, more people in general are learning to swim. From kids to adults, the push is on from public health officials who say it’s critical to learn to swim . The Centers for Disease Control says drowning is a major public health issue that can be prevented.
Check out these spots in Charlotte where you can learn to swim.
