Black People can't swim?

You’ve heard the joke, or maybe you’ve lived the stereotype: “Black people can’t swim.” But behind that stereotype is a painful truth rooted in American history—not biology. The reality is, Black communities were systematically denied access to swimming pools for decades, and the effects of that segregation still ripple through generations today.

Segregated Pools, Segregated Lives

After slavery ended, Jim Crow laws made sure that freedom didn’t mean equality. Public facilities, including pools, were deeply segregated. White communities built lavish swimming complexes during the early-to-mid 1900s, but these were often off-limits to Black families. Even in the North, segregation was enforced through intimidation, violence, and exclusionary policies.

Black families were either banned outright or forced to use poorly maintained “Black-only” pools—if any existed at all. That meant fewer opportunities to learn how to swim, fewer lifeguards who looked like them, and no sense of safety around water. And when kids don’t learn, that carries into adulthood and passes down.

The Dorothy Dandridge Incident: A Symbol of Exclusion

In the 1950s, actress Dorothy Dandridge—the first Black woman nominated for a Best Actress Oscar—booked a stay at a glamorous hotel in Las Vegas. One day, she dipped just her toe into the hotel’s pool. That small, harmless act led to the entire pool being drained and cleaned. Why? Because she was Black.

Let that sink in. A woman who represented elegance, grace, and Black excellence was treated like a contaminant. Her presence wasn’t just unwelcome—it was erased. Incidents like that weren’t isolated—they were normalized.

A Deadly Legacy

Because of that history, swimming wasn’t part of life for many Black families. It wasn’t passed down like it was in white communities. Even today, nearly 64% of Black children can’t swim, compared to 40% of white children. And drowning rates for Black youth—especially ages 5 to 14—are significantly higher.

This isn’t just a tragedy—it’s a warning. Racism kills, sometimes quietly, like a child slipping beneath the surface of a pool no one taught them to navigate.

Reclaiming the Water

But here’s the hope: Black swim coaches, organizations, and community centers are reclaiming the water. Groups like Black Kids Swim and Swim 1922 are working to teach, empower, and restore what racism tried to steal.

Swimming isn’t just a skill—it’s safety, joy, freedom. And Black people deserve that just like anyone else.

Final Thought:

This stereotype didn’t come from lack of ability. It came from being locked out—literally. The story of Dorothy Dandridge dipping her toe into a pool that was later drained isn’t just a moment of injustice; it’s a metaphor for how American society tried to keep Black people out, even when they were already stars.

Let’s drain the racism—not the pool.