the stereotype , unfortunately , it is often true that Black Americans cannot swim , particularly in urban environments . Therefore , this essay will examine how such stereotypes originated , stemming from the transatlantic slave trade and continuing into segregation , and how Moonlight reclaims the image of Black people ’ s in and with water .
From a historical perspective , the pre-Atlantic slave trade , Kenin Dawson ’ s article ,‘ Enslaved Swimmers and Divers in the Atlantic World ’, lifelong explores how swimmingwas a crucial part of everyday life for African tribesmen before the Transatlantic Slave Trade . African children learnt to swim at a very young age , either ' right after learning to walk between the ages of ten to fourteen months or after they were weaned at approximately two or three years of age .' ( Dawson , 2006 , p . 1335 ) Learning at such ayoung age reduces the risk of drowning in adulthood and suggests African parents did not fear the water or the possibility of their children drowning . ' West Africans ... used variants of freestyle , enabling them to incorporate into many daily activities .' ( Dawson , 2006 , p1330 ) Such activities included setting fishing traps meaning the ability to swim , gave Africans access to a food source .
On the other hand , White Europeans considered swimming to be ' a hopeless struggle against mother nature ' ( Dawson , 2006 ). African ' s ability to swim was seen as animalistic by westerners as ' animals instinctively knew how to swim ( but ) it was unnatural for humans to swim without logical instruction .' ( Dawson , 2006 ) Many white westerners did not learn how to swim and devalued such skills in African tribes people . They concluded that since swimming was a natural ability in animals , the African tribesmen must be less developed and used this as their reasoning for enslaving them . Enslaved Africans were then prohibited from swimming as slave owners saw swimming as an escape from the coastal plantations . By being denied access to an activity that was once integrated into their daily lives , Enslaved African could not pass on their tribal traditions to their enslaved children born in America .
In the 20th century , racial segregation meant
Black Americans were prevented from learning to swim in public pools . Black people were discouraged from using public swimming pools as white stereotypes of Black people ‘ as diseased and sexually threatening served as the foundation for this segregation ' ( Wolcott , 2019 ). This stereotype justified white managers refusing Black Americans entry to pools due to a ' fear of disorder ' ( Wolcott , 2019 ). They believed fights would break out if African-Americans were permitted on the premises . In 1964 , pool manager James Brock went as far as to pour acid into a swimming pool after civil rights protesters jumped into a ‘ whites-only pool ’. The racism and segregation African-American ’ s have faced has denied them the opportunity to learn how to swim , which has continued into modern-day society . Many African Americans believe that swimming is a ‘ white activity ’ ( Dawson , 2006 , p . 1354 ), meaning a majority of African Americans do not learn how to swim . In the United States , the responsibility for a child learning to swim lies with the parents , and if the parent cannot swim , they are unlikely to teach their children to swim . Furthermore , a 2010 study conducted by Carol Irwin found that ‘ Fear of drowning or fear of injury was really the major variable ’ ( Rohrer , 2010 ) as to why many African-American parents did not teach their children to swim . The cause and effect of denying a generation of African- American ’ s in the Civil Rights era entry to pools means they were never able to participate in recreational swimming , so it never became a part of African-American culture .
All things considered , the transatlantic slave trade denied African ' s the chance to pass down their swimming abilities to future generations meaning something that is a part of their heritage is met with fear rather than celebration . The forceful separation of African Americans from the water has led to the image of Black people ’ s bodies and water accumulating negative connotations , and there have been multiple news stories of Black adults and children drowning in swimming pools . ' Some 70 per cent of African-American youth cannot swim , and drowning rates for young Black ( people ) are far higher than for whites ' ( Diaz- Duran , 2017 ). This statistic demonstrates how the stereotype has , unfortunately , become real for a majority of the Black Americans and
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