Wednesday, June 02, 2010
How come so many kids can't swim?
USA Swimming estimates that 70% of African-American children and 58% of Hispanic kids cannot swim. This compares with 80% of Caucasian children who can.
Is it the culture? Who has pools and who doesn’t?
Sure, lots of inner city schools have been closed or hours curtailed by budget cuts.
Seems, though, there is also a fear of water on the part of minority or low-income parents.
Some would not give their kids lessons if the lessons were free, one professor remarked.
There was also a crazy rumor going around a few decades ago that black kids were not genetically suited to swimming. So lots of kids didn’t learn and now they are parents and have passed this fear along.
Kids of all colors, hues, and patterns need to be able to swim. It’s a life and death matter.