Preface
Across the water they came.
Waters that drew them away from all things familiar.
Fear of the inhumane cruelty to come caused some to escape into a watery grave.
But those who did not die resolved to live
no matter what.1
The water spewed these brave souls onto new land. Receding, as if to apologize for bringing them to this ill fated place.
The water became their enemy, the barrier between life and freedom.
Summer time is often filled with the laughter and joy of people enjoying water activities. Open water spaces, such as rivers and lakes, grant opportunities for people to have fun while taking a break from the summer heat. The window to enjoy outdoor water activities is limited due to the weather in the Pacific Northwest. Public pools are open to families who cannot afford the luxury of a private pool. However, public swimming facilities did not always have an environment where everyone felt like they belonged.
Public pools are paid for by the tax dollars of American citizens. The Jim Crow Era brought about the perpetuation of lies and laws that kept Black people from accessing water and pools for recreational purposes. Between 1920 and 1940, cities across the country opened thousands of public swimming pools that denied or limited access to Black American citizens. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 granted them the same access to swimming pools as Whites. Unfortunately, by that point, Black people had internalized the falsehood that they couldn’t swim. The constant harassment and discrimination in aquatic spaces made it even more uncomfortable for Black Americans.
1 The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson.
Swimming is an essential life skill that everyone should acquire. This belief prompted the NAACP Spokane Branch Healthcare Committee Chair, Quinton Baker, to seek out partners who held the same conviction and sought to bring about change. American Red Cross, YMCA, Providence Health, Slingshot, educators at Rogers High School, and members of the NAACP worked together to fund and bring a new opportunity to students at John R. Rogers High School to gain swimming skills and earn lifeguard certification.
Black children and youth are more likely to drown in public pools.2
Quinton Baker proposed the Red Cross Lifeguard program with this disparity in mind. The program targeted 10 participants of color, ages 15 years or older. On April 12th, educators and partners met with participants to discuss the expectations and hope that this program brings to their community. Selected participants would engage in lifeguard course prerequisites that included:
Swimming a continuous 300 yards (6 laps down and back) - may use front crawl/freestyle or breaststroke technique: swimming on back or side not permitted.
Swim 20 yards, dive down 7-10 feet and retrieve a 10-pound brick, return to the surface and swim with the brick back to the starting point within 1 minute and 40 seconds.
2 minutes of continuous treading water using legs only.
Participants completing the program would receive a 2-year certification in American Red Cross Lifeguarding, First Aid, CPR/AED, and Administering Emergency Oxygen (time permitting), and a 1-year Bloodborne Pathogen.
Partners of the program equipped participants with swimsuits, goggles, swim caps, and towels. The YMCA extended a membership to its facilities to participants and their families for 2 months. Throughout the month of May, participants engaged in lifeguard training and worked on swimming skills.
The 2024 Red Cross Lifeguard program was a success! Quinton, community partners, and educators hope to make this an annual program for students of color to obtain the skills needed to swim and become lifeguards.
Representation matters where it matters.
When it comes to jumping in the pool, having Black trained lifeguards help Black people to feel psychologically safe. Believing the lie that Black people can’t swim only perpetuates an unhealthy narrative in communities of color. Organizations, like NAACP and YMCA, are diligently working to combat this unhealthy narrative by encouraging Black people to get swim lessons for themselves and their children. It is never too late to learn this fundamental life skill. We are swimming for our lives!
In 1831, Tice Davids swam to freedom from slavery across the Ohio River.3
Black people can swim. In fact, Simone Ashley Manuel is a Black American woman who is a gold medal Olympic freestyle swimmer. She is an ambassador for the Make A Splash organization, working to bring awareness to essential aquatic education in underserved communities.
The history of Black Americans is peppered with disenfranchisement. We came to this land with skills that were weaponized against us. We’ve internalized the lies that have given birth to apprehension of our competence and abilities. Some have said that we, Black Americans, were born on the water.
It was on the water where we found the courage to rise above oppressive thoughts. It was on the water where we found the strength to survive another day in the most inhumane conditions. It was on the water where we promised ourselves to live and not die.
Let the water no longer be our enemy; stealing our joy and robbing us of our freedom. Let its waves bring renewed hope and confidence in who we are. Let the water be a place where we not only live, but where we thrive.
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.