WHY DON'T AFRICAN AMERICANS SWIM?

I grew up thinking that everyone could and should know how to swim. My father was a certified lifeguard for years and volunteered at the local pools and Y's teaching kids how to swim and life guarding the pools when his work schedule permitted. My mother was a strong swimmer and since I could remember jumping int he deep in and swimming under water, on top of the water and taking diving and swimming lessons was apart of my Saturday mornings.

It wasn't until I was a little older hanging out at the city pool with my cousins or the pool at my father's condo did I realize that a lot of my cousins and friends not only couldn't swim but many were deathly scared of the water. This idea was foreign to me as I LOVED the water and look forward to swimming whenever there is a pool around.

Via BBC News I found some staggering statistics and some historic reasons as to why some black adults and children can not swim.

Theories for low black American swimming rates

• Propagation of incorrect scientific theories such as black people being much less buoyant
• Historic factors going as far back as slaves not being allowed to learn to swim
• Denial of access to pools in 1920s and 30s causing ripple effect to present day
• Lack of municipal pools in predominantly black neighborhoods in 1960s onwards
• Perception of swimming as elitist or white sport

US swimming stats

• USA Swimming/University of Memphis study found ethnic differences
• 68.9% of African-American children with no or low ability to swim
• 57.9% of Hispanic children
• 41.8% of white children
• Study quizzed 2,000 children and parents in six US cities
• CDC recorded 3,443 fatal accidental drownings in 2007
• Drowning is second greatest cause of accidental death in children under 14
• African-American children aged 5 to 14 3.1 times more likely to drown

Continue after the jump [interesting stuff!]
MeaLee