I don't usually pay much attention to little tidbits like this, but something about this story in particular irked me. As if we don't already have enough bad news about the state of Black America, and black youth in particular, now the MSM is somehow fixated on the amphibious efforts of lil' Tyrone and Daisha.
A new study finds that nearly 60 percent of African-American children can't swim, a figure almost twice that of white children. That's according to a new study aimed at lowering minority drowning rates and drawing more blacks into the sport of swimming.Okay, all cynicism aside, I think this new initiative is promising. Reality is, if black kids are drowning at such astronomical rates, then anything being done to help them learn to swim better should be lauded.
The first-of-its-kind USA Swimming survey also finds that black children drown at a rate almost three times higher than children overall.
USA Swimming is teaming with local governments, businesses, and youth and ethnic groups to expand learn-to-swim programs nationwide.
That said, I wonder how many black kids don't bother learning to swim for totally superficial cultural reasons. Growing up, the community pool was the place to be, but nine times outta ten, you just went to shoot the breeze with your friends and holler at girls. Everybody got in the water, but very few kids actually swam. And you know about black women and their hair. I wonder just how many kids are deterred from learning to swim for such reasons.
My childhood was traumatized by some d-bag who thought it was fun to throw a 6 year old AverageBro in the deep end of the pool while I had my back turned. Never mind the fact that I was taking swimming lessons at the time (key word: lessons) and had no clue what to do. Obviously I'm here today blogging, but this is largely because the lifeguard on duty moved swiftly to save me. And the kid who pushed me in, well, let's just say that between my older brothers and other kids from my neighborhood, he caught a fair one... or thirty. I doubt he ever pushed another child again, but the damage was done.
Since my
Today, I'm no Mark Spitz [||] but I can hold my own. And since I'm trying to break silly generational curses, AverageBaby has already taken AquaTots classes and should be swimming like Nemo in time for Memorial Day.
Like father, unlike son. He should be better than me, but first I have to be better myself.[2]
Question: Can you swim? If not, why? If you have kids, have they learned to swim?
Study: 58% of Black Children Can't Swim [Southern Ledger]
[1] I hope that made some sense to you.
[2] See #1.
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Same situation. After almost drowning the fear was too much. My aunt was actually required to take swimming class in school back in the day.
Yesterday, I actually signed my son up for swim lessons this summer. Maybe one day I will learn. I have a friend who is a scuba instructor who is determined to teach me.
As far as why many of us can't. Beyond cultural its priority in the family. The last thing a parent/guardian is thinking about is swimming if they can barely pay the bills.
Too many people don't bother to ensure their kids learn what they didn't. I don't think its seen as something important.
I have a 7 year old and a 10 year old and they have taken regular swimming lessons for most of their lives. The time and money commitment has been huge. Me and average wife have been at the pool once or twice for most of our kids lives (with a few breaks summer and we are just plain exhausted)
My wife and I are marginal swimmers. (No lessons for me as a kid but big brother got lessons. I should have complained to my parents about that.)
As the polar caps melt swimming will be an important survival skill in urban coastal cities. Once they are solid swimmers martial arts will be the other survival skill we'll work on.
Meant to say once or twice a week for most of their lives.
I can't swim and I'm 27 years old. How said am I? :-( I guess my reasons for never learning are that my parents never made it a priority and fear on my end.
After reading this post, I'm now influenced to take swimming lessons. I'm gonna see what I can find at the Y.
My dad and older sister tried to teach me as a toddler, but I had at least one bad experience that put me off, so I didn't learn to swim until high school. I grew up in the Pittsburgh suburbs in the 60s and 70s, and nearly every HS had its own indoor pool. We actually had swimming for PE for one quarter of every year. IIRC, there were a fair number of guys who couldn't swim when we started 10th grade, maybe 25%. We were all proficient by the time we graduated.
I can't stress enough how important I think mandatory PE is, and I think swimming should be included. Of course, getting school districts to pay for pools these days? Riiiiight.
My parents swam and subsequently, so do I. After I tossed my children off the side of my boat(into 6 inches of water) they came back to be tossed again and eventually learned to swim too. They love the water. Hopefully their children learn as well.
@symphony:
I don't think it has any sort of relationship to financial situation. There are lots and lots and lots of dirt-poor white kids out there, but we don't see any sort of increased non-swimming population. Swimming is FREE...
...unless you live in a city.
I think, apart from the cultural thing (in the v. small southern town where I came up I rarely saw black kids at the lake), that it might be about access to a pool vs. access to a pond.
My dad taught me when I was small. I can swim very well, and taught my kids... again, free. They've been in boats and in the water since they were about 2, and all three are good enough to enjoy a pool, a diving board, or to swim off the side of a boat in a lake and not worry about panic or drowning . One just started learning to swim competitively - that was a bit more expensive but since it's the first sport she's ever been interested in, I'm all for it.
@daedalus:
Hmm, your parents too? Maybe the dividing line is political! Conservatives swim, liberals sink... I smell a theme here. ;)
@phil:
Yes, make sure you buy ninja stars too. They can be easily sharpened after acquiring salt-water rust, hidden on your person while swimming through downtown Manhattan, and no one will expect them! The only problem is that they sink, so buy lots and teach your kids to use them early. Also, buy them Ninja Gaiden, to brush up on their hand-eye coordination (as well as supporting the general survival / ninja theme).
One can never be prepared too early for the sudden inrush of water and subsequent kung-fu battles over floating canned goods.
Or, since you're already exhausted from driving them to swimming lessons, maybe martial arts is too much to take on... instead, you could teach them the survival skill known in underground circles as Moving to Nebraska.
@ symphony
I hope you take the AB Challenge and sign yourself up for classes too. You could take yours while your son takes his.
Consider it at least.
@ anonymiss
Don't procrastinate. Google your local YMCA right now, and sign yourself up via phone. Go do it.
@ poopy
You're right, most schools have so little PE time, and very few still have pools. Few colleges require swimming for graduation either.
@ spool
I sorta agree/disagree.
There are indeed pools in every neighborhood, regardless of how rough the hood'. But in many cases (like mine), you still have to pay to get in. I remember to this day that there would sometimes be more kids outside the pool watching from the other side of the fence than there would be kids in the pool. And let's not even get into the condition and safety of some community pools.
That said, having access to a pool isn't the same as having swimming lessons. I don't recall EVAR seeing lessons offered at our community pool. Hell, we only had ONE lifeguard. I only "learned" because I was at summer camp.
This issue is a lot more complex than it seems on the surface. No weak pun intended.
I think alot of black americans don't swim because of access to pools and large bodies of water. And I don't mean the community pool. Surely one doesn't expect to do laps in a pool with hundreds of kids in it. I hate the implication that it's a black thing, especially when I go to the caribbean and see all of those little brown bodies swimming like fish in the water.
Going to the beach once a summer or hitting up the community pool is certainly not enough to become 'nemo'.
my 2 cents.
AB,
I can swim, having learned as a Cub Scout which my Mom put me into because I was a city kid (ORD) who wanted to go camping. In my HS swim class I used to clown and flirt so hard with the girls that the teacher also swim team coach, would punish me with 10 lap assignments. I remember doing them so easily that once I finished, I'd go right back to my previous behaviour. Oddly enough I did not join the team...
When my kid was about 18 months I bought her a flotation vest, arm floats and pool-safe diaper thingy and off we went to the pool. As we approached waters edge she saw several older kids run and jump in but I registered nothing unusual might happen next. My little imp saw them, decided she'd do the same and took off running!
I was horrified! Realizing I did not want to explain a bad outcome to my wife, I ran after her but she made it to the edge and jumped in first. I moved towards her wanting to avoid the worst. Then dumbly watched as she didn't sink, didn't have her wind knocked out and proceeded to have an absolute ball. Since then she had always shown love for the water BUT once the wife relented and let her get her 1st perm in 5th grade, swimming fell to the wayside.
That hair thing is a MF.
I not sure what the reasons are but I know it's influenced by access to (clean) water; someone to encourage and watch you when you're young and learning how to swim; for many minority females, (it's a hair thing); and as children grow up unless they hang around friends that like to swim...they're hanging out everywhere but near swimming waters! Swimming doesn't rate high on the list if your family thinks you have potential to make money playing basketball or baseball or if your role models like the street money. Living near the ocean, most of my family and many of my friends love to go to the beach, but they don't desire to go into the water! Nope, not one bit.
I can swim and took lessons when I was a child at day care. Plus my daddy was a lifeguard at the Negro pools back in the day so it was a pre-req that you had to learn to swim in our house.
Yeah, access to a pool and swimming lessons are different. And if your parents can't swim and their siblings cant swim you DEFINITELY need paid lessons.
Its not so much the money as it is the priority. And in poor Black familes in the inner cities (particularly) I dont think swim lessons are a priority.
My mom is a swimmer and I have been a swimmer since the I was 7. My son took lessons early in life(5-6 years of age). He is actually quite good at swimming and diving. I tried to get him to get on a team in high school but he wasn't interested.
As a child, I went to a city-ran summer day camp. We went swimming three, four times a week. I had to "teach" myself how to stay afloat. But eventually it became fun. The water slides, the whole nine.
I stopped swimming because of my lack of self-confidence because I was a big girl in high school. All my friends were in two-pieces and I was in a one piece. Now that I'm older and over that, I want to start swimming again.
@AB:
That's kinda what I was driving at... it's more about whether you live in a city (have to pay for access, sometimes it's foul water) or live in the country (rivers/lakes are free to swim in), than just straight up rich/poor.
Growing up in Louisiana, paying money to swim sounded like crazy talk when I first heard of it. The only time you pay money to use the lake is if you want to use the boat ramp, and then it was only $2.
I learned how to swim in day care. They would take us to the pool, beach, or camp on a regular basis. So we had to learn.
No, I don't swim. I almost drowned in my high school swimming class, there were way to many kids in the class, it was difficult for the teacher to keep an eye on all of us. And yes, as a black women in the early sixties - the hair this was a problem.
My son had his first swim at the age of 6 months. He got his red cross life saving badge at 17.
One of the problems in our area (Milwaukee, WI)is the shortage of public pools. More and more of them are being closed and replaced with water "parks" that are no more than a fancy pad with a sprinkler system.
sterling
Two reasons: Fear of drowning....my dad's idea of a "lesson" was kinda pushing you in the pool and letting you figure it out and two, I had a relaxer from ages 9-26 so, my hair getting wet always came first.
I can swim. I took lessons at 13. My body was too muscular to float however, and I kept sinking in the 12 foot end. I almost drowned, but that didn't stop me.
I'm struggling about teaching my wifey to swim. Her first complaint: "I'm gon' fall!" Her second: I'm going to get my hair wet. Nontheless we are in three feet of water at the time. I can piggyback her to the 5 foot end, but she almost strangles me.
*sigh*
I need to have a little ebonygent or ebonylady to teach. My wifey is going to be some work.
I think swimming should be a standard lifeskill. But I don't think that black girls and women want to swim because of their hair. They don't want the hassle of fixing it later. Sad, really. Caucasian girls, however are all in the pool. I wish more sistas would adapt. It would make for more interesting pool parties. :)
EG
My mother who is deathly afraid of the water, wouldn't let me near it. I didn't swim for many years. I eventually learned at summer camp. But what that chlorine did to a sista's hair..SMDH @ moms not packing me a swim cap! LOL!
Luckily, there was an african sister, one of the counselors at the camp who took it upon herself to braid my hair. I was the only lil' black girl in my age group at the camp (in Savannah GA, no less). May God bless that sister, I'll never forget her. :)
I can swim. My father lived near Lake Michigan and put his foot down. It was either learn to swim or not be able to go to the beach alone. I learned to swim. I was never afraid of water or anything like that.
although some people believe that american blacks have a body memory of water so extreme that they are intimidated by water to the point that they develop a fear of it.
I think every kid should learn to swim. Its great exercise and its fun!
Yes, black women and our hair can be an impediment but they do make caps for that and when its the summer its a perfect time for braids and things.
I do know black folks though who lived their whole lives near pools, clean lakes, and the ocean who have never seen or gone near them. Its sad and strange to me but understandable.
Body memory fear of water is just about as much bunk as any other eugenic nonsense people have come up with. It sounds like the sort of crap they'd come up with in the 30s to keep black folks out of the Navy or something.
Ugh.
no one brought up the fact of segregation. I think this is at least partly the reason my mother (50+ y.o) never learned to swim - pools/public lakes not available to her on a regular basis in VA. B/c she didn't learn she didn't make it a priority for my brother and I to learn as kids. and since we were in the 'burbs the only pools around, required payment so I never had lessons.
I put my daughter in a tot class b/c I wanted here to be abel to swim, but wasn't until I moved to a big city (San Fran) with many n'hood public pools at a reasonable cost ($1 for rec swim, $4 per lesson) that I was able to get my daughter access on a weekly basis if I want. I can't swim but our lifeguard (now a friend) and the S.O. have encouraged me to learn. It's on my to do list.
-kw
Please people stop it. Every carribean island has a deep see and every single black child who lives there can swim. and if go to african you will see the same thing kids can ALL swim.
the only person in my family who can't swim is my mother. all she does is put her feets into ater or stay in the water ( not far from her towel lol! )
I took those classes at the Y but never felt I was a strong swimmer. Couldn't tread water but I could get across a pool...then the hair thing came up until I became a parent and my son was a natural in the water.
I made sure he got lessons then I got back in the pool myself.
SEGREGATION.
Whites only pools, whites only beaches (ocean/pond/lake/rivers).
Kinda like skiing.
My mom, who grew up on Lake Michigan, can swim. My dad, who grew up in KC,MO can't swim.
I can't swim. Whenever someone tries to teach me, I cramp up and almost drown. I have DEEP fears that go back to my early childhood about swimming and many water related things. I might have to go to therapy before I can go in five feet alone.
Mom went to Dunbar in DC, but was thrown in almost drowned and didn't swim until she took lessons at 60 (you're never too old). The hair thing is a beast, and even weaves will turn into the animal (happened to me in Jamaica, Mexico, etc.) But I love the water, don't swim really well, but can float this sista has swam in Cannes, in Lake Lucerne, all over JA and Mexico and FL, but life is too short! Just from a practical standpoint, I wear my own hair out when swimming and add ponytails, falls and instaweaves when traveling to water places. Cuts down on the hair maintenance. There is no excuse for sista's to be avoid the water now. My Mother did relate a story about Segregated pools when I was a child, and I did not really get into a pool until adolescence. But we need to make sure our children can swim. Wonder how that affected Katrina victims?
I almost drowned as a child and have been afraid of water ever since. This fair was reinforced by my parents who taught me not to get my hair wet. After spending so much time pressing my hair or braiding it for the week my mother did not want to re-do it. I learned at a very early age to avoid water.
I have two kids. My oldest is 7 and he seems to have an irrational fear of water despite my best efforts not to pass on my fears. This summer I am determined that he learn how to swim. I realize that it is a skill that could one day save his life. My sons life is worth forgetting learned behavior that limits blacks.
1) I can swim.
2) If you are a black man (or any kind of man, really) who believes that the reason black women can't swim is because they are vain/spend too much time/money/effort on their hair, please recall whether you have ever
- called a black woman nappyheaded
- been angry at a black woman who said she was going to cut off her hair
- joked about a black woman's "kitchen"
- swooned vocally/loudly/repeatedly over women whose hair was naturally straight
- derided a black woman who had a 'fro
- EVER uttered the phrase "good hair",
then, if so, please check your male privilege at the door.
Thank you for your attention to this public service announcement.
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