Oct. 18, 2024 | Sam Rink
Black people have the second-highest drowning rates of any race or ethnic group in the United States, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control, and the rate of drowning increased 28 percent in 2021 from 2019. A large part of this troubling trend is that many Black children and families have limited or no access to swim lessons that could prevent these deaths. Latashia Key, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a swim instructor for more than 35 years, knows this well, and she is aiming to change it.
Latashia recently received a grant from the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance to fund her research. Her study, “Making Waves to Design an Aquatic program for African American Girls: A Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Swim Lesson and Water Safety Program,” seeks to design, analyze and reproduce what she refers to as “culturally responsive” swim lessons targeted toward young Black girls. Latashia says targeted, inclusive lessons are crucial in not only decreasing disproportionate drowning rates but can also improve confidence and self-esteem through learning an essential lifelong skill.
One contributing factor to low rates of Black swimmers “is the generational trauma” Latashia said. From segregated pools to communities that often didn’t have access to pools, many Black families passed fear of the water, or a general sense that “Black people don’t swim” to their children. Young swimmers often don’t see Black swimmers, lifeguards or instructors in their communities, she said.
Latashia completed the third iteration of her study in the summer of 2024 in Indianapolis where the Olympic Swim trials were held, which was a perfect backdrop for her program and an opportunity to expose more Black girls to the sport. The program involved collaboration with different local organizations to recruit participants and instructors in the communities where the program was being held. This iteration was conducted over five weeks with the girls meeting two times a week for 45 to 60 minutes, and included lessons in and out of the water.
Also, instructors taught basic water competency skills such as bobs—which helped children learn to go under water by getting their face wet and blowing bubbles—front and back floats, flutter kicks and jumping into the pool with and without a life jacket. Girls also learned that there are Black women and girls who participate in sports such as swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo. Latashia said some iterations had more involvement from parents but the participation of the children and hearing their reaction to the study was heart-warming.
“I think the biggest takeaway is a culturally responsive program like this is very needed, but also very well received, especially by the parents,” she said.
RST Associate Professor Toni Liechty, Key’s mentor and advisor, said working closely with the communities in which different iterations were held was crucial in the development of this study. Liechty emphasized how important this study is due to the lack of similar research. “I was really shocked at how few studies have actually been done on the topic, especially when we know that there’s this big drowning gap,” Liechty said. “More research like this is needed to explore the disparities and facilitate swim education. Projects like these happen because there is someone like Latashia who is passionate about addressing the issue and understands the way water experiences can change lifestyles.”
The history of Black people and swimming is long, beginning at the trans-Atlantic slave trade and continuing through 19th century Jim Crow laws and into the 20th century with segregation. Black people were historically kept out of leisure spaces—such as public pools or beaches—reserved for white people, and this lack of access has bled into current times. It was only in 1973 that the Supreme Court ruled that private swim clubs weren’t allowed to deny membership to residents based on race, and harmful stereotypes and a culture of fear still pervade conversations around Black people and swimming.
That history is why representation was such an important factor in the study, according to Latashia. She spoke about how her undergraduate education at Morgan State University, one of 107 historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, made her feel empowered as a woman of color.
“I didn’t realize there were Black professors until I enrolled at Morgan State,” she said. “I understand the impact those educators had on my ability to dream and imagine myself in non-traditional spaces. For this study, it was important to recruit instructors who were African American, knowing the power they can play in teaching others that look like them. I think it is important to actually have the opportunity to impart and empower children to know they can do it. What they saw, what they learned about swimming, and that swimming is for Black people and Black kids and Black girls and Black boys.”
When it comes to the future of her research, Latashia and Liechty hope to be able to develop a strategy for culturally responsive swim lessons that can be translated to any community that wants to implement it and Latashia said some communities she worked with on the research have already expressed interest. Also, she was impacted by the emotional response of the children who participated, and watched their fear and anxiety about swimming dissipate and turn into joy was fulfilling.
“The pool should be fun,” she said. “I think that’s the big thing.”
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