kittieslovekaties:resadipity:poetiic-motion:soulfulmags:opaliris:softwhorecore:THIS IS ACTUALLY FACT
kittieslovekaties:resadipity:poetiic-motion:soulfulmags:opaliris:softwhorecore:THIS IS ACTUALLY FACTUAL AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED MOREhttp://www.usms.org/articles/articledisplay.php?aid=294“Knowing that they were losing “valuable product” due to their slaves’ propensity to swim, slave owners began taking drastic steps to protect their property. One of these steps was to instill a fear of the water by dunking disobedient slaves in water until they nearly drowned and by creating fear through stories of creatures living in the water. Thus it didn’t take long to excise or destroy the West African swimming tradition from African- American culture. The Jim Crow laws that were enacted after The Civil War prohibited blacks from the popular seaside resorts in places like Atlantic City, N.J. and Revere Beach, Mass. And by the 20th Century, as the swimming pool began to gain in popularity in the United States, the color line prohibited blacks from enjoying this pleasant recreational skill.In addition, self-segregation also played a role in limiting those of African ancestry from getting in the water. I remember my Aunt saying to stay away from the pool because, “black folk don’t swim.””!!!!!!!wow, didn’t know thatWhen I started as a lifeguard, one of the first things they said was to keep a special eye on black people. I was appalled, of course, but in less than a month I saw why. I was even bored enough to take a tally one day to make sure it wasn’t cognitive bias. There really was a difference in swimming ability. One day I didn’t look busy and an older black woman asked me to teach her to swim. While she was practicing basic floating, I asked her why she didn’t already know and she said the above: lack of swimming pools available to blacks, especially in big cities like New York (where she was from). After watching all the kids summer camp groups being rowdy, I had an idea. I took another tally. Black children are usually just fine at swimming, while their parents still sink like rocks. The new generation is healing. Things are getting better. Theres hope. -- source link