A new documentary short called “A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim,” directed by Mysterex, premieres in January 2019 and chronicles the journey of British hip-hop artist Ed Accura as he learns to swim.
The film addresses stereotypes and myths that have been perpetuated about black people and swimming, and how those factors play into Accura’s own anxiety and “borderline trauma.”
“I had my very first EVER swimming experience last Sunday and I really can’t believe It’s taken my whole life time to get me to this stage,” Accura told SwimSwam. “The swimming scene is an intricate part of the story and so I’m limited on what I can divulge at this stage, but let’s just say, I didn’t drown. It’s all in the film.”
First proposed by the UK-based swim lesson provider Swimming Nature, the short also discusses some of the social reasons behind why drowning affects black communities at such a disproportionate rate. There’s generally a dearth of UK-based data on race and swimming, but a 2017 study by Sport England found that white children in Britain are three times more likely to know how to swim than children of color. A 2014 CDC study found that black children aged 5-19 in America drown at a rate over five times greater than that of white children.
You can listen to an excerpt of the film’s soundtrack below – the lyrics are intended to be tongue-in-cheek, according to Accura. He expects a trailer for the film to be released in mid-November.
This is so long overdue. Just listened to the song and its definitely a cultural thing. I am a British white male club promoter and have many black friends, relatives and associates who both can and can’t swim.
I was brought up by a Black step father so I have lots of relatives from the black ethnicity. My stepfather didn’t swim but all my half siblings did as a result of my mum insisting on it.
As a club promoter I throw pool parties periodically. Majority of my black guests tend not to get in the pool and quote lack of confidence as the reason.
The heavy bones and buoyance statement is usually just laughed off and… Read more »
The differing views of British Africans was interesting and introspective. It starts the conversation. I saw in the credits a mention of thanks to Anthony Ervin and SwimSwam.
If you want the real history lesson, just read Contested Waters. And it is a global trend in most developed countries, not exclusive to the USA.
https://www.amazon.com/Contested-Waters-History-Swimming-America/dp/0807871273
Respect to this man. Great to see anyone trying to be safe and enjoy a great sport and a great exercise for the first time no matter the race or age.
It might be that they don’t have as buoyancy when they learned to swim, but once they learn to swim some are very good swimmers. I always wondered why black are great at sprint running while its been a long time that whites are the top runners in any distance below 400 meters.
I’m confused by your post, anonymous. You seem open to the idea that there might be genetic differences affecting blacks ability to swim. If that’s the case it would seem logical enough to just explain the disproportionate sprint running results the same way.
Also, I don’t really get the buoyancy thing because there’s really no shortage of obese people of all races here in the states. If buoyancy is all that’s needed to swim then we shouldn’t have much to worry about.
It’s definitely a societal/cultural issue, rather than one of density.
If it was about buoyancy, my guess is that sex would be a bigger factor in learning to swim than race, since the difference in body fat between males and females is bound to be significantly greater than any difference in body fat between Africans and Caucasians.
I’ve taught many kids of African descent to swim, and never noticed any difference in the speed or manner in which they learn as compared to Caucasian swimmers. In the Navy, I helped several shipmates learn to swim, some of whom were black, and never noticed a difference by race. While there has been at least one study showing a difference in buoyancy… Read more »
I think there’s a ‘recency’ memory problem about the why-blacks-aren’t-into-swimming issue.
Remember that until 1969, when a Francois Clemmons, a black man and descendant of slaves, and Fred Rogers, a white man, shared a small plastic pool with just their feet, a large portion of Jim Crow America believed that black people carried diseases that could spread via a pool.
https://christandpopculture.com/wont-you-be-my-neighbor-mister-rogers/
Mr. Rogers was truly an American hero. If I could be more like anyone on earth, it would be him.
Food for thought if you lived near a body of water would you use the water for personal and commercial needs? Another way to look why did the navy limit blacks from enrolling in the Navy? Check “Men of Honor”. Blacks can’t swim is a misinformation stereotype. Just a bit of logic and an open mind will shed light on this issue. All men are “created equal” but environmental factors shifts the scale.
What sterotype? In the states it is well documented that inner-city kids have a much higher drowning rate. There are major efforts to fix that. I don’t think the title of this film overall is any more accurate than Spike Lee’s film White Men Can’t Jump.
There’s a difference between a statistic and a stereotype. “Black people are more likely to drown because of a lack of accessible learn-to-swim programs and historical/cultural barriers” is not the same as “black people can’t swim,” which is a sentiment I’ve heard in various forms both during my time both in the swim world and outside of it. Whether it’s high level swim meets or on a ship in the Navy, any time there’s a black person comfortable around water there’s always been some chucklehead nearby acting like that person is a unicorn.
As for the Spike Lee reference, the title of this film is not meant to be accurate, it’s meant to be attention grabbing. In fact, it serves… Read more »