reasons to enroll
According to the YMCA, there are cultural and historical factors that explain why
children of color are at a higher risk for drowning:
Institutional Racism
Increased privatization of swimming lessons and pools, as well as a history of exclusion, set the context for today’s low participation rates in swim lessons. A painful legacy of racial segregation and violent strife surrounds the history of municipal swimming pools. This legacy helped to erect high barriers to swimming participation that remain in place today.
Myths and Stereotypes
A lack of representation in professional swim sports and false beliefs surrounding people of color and swimming have also led to restricted performance and limited participation.
Inherited Fear of Drowning
A USA Swimming Foundation study shows that if a parent does not know how to swim, there is only a 13 percent chance that their child will learn how to swim. When adult role models fear water or have been negatively impacted by the above experiences, their comfort level with swimming is passed down to younger generations.
Swimming is a life skill, much like riding a bicycle, fishing, or building an appreciation for the outdoors. Yet, unlike recreational hobbies, being a strong swimmer is also a life-saving skill that all children should have access to develop.
When a parent doesn’t endorse swimming – or actively discourages a child from participating in swimming – this life-threatening cycle continues. It requires intentional effort on the part of swim facilities and youth programs to disrupt the pervasive and persistent narrative in Black/African-American communities that water is dangerous and swim lessons are not accessible.