Now, we’ve all heard the stereotype that black folks can’t swim. But, unfortunately, that cliché is based in haunting truths.
The numbers speak for themselves:Â 64 percent of black kids have no or low swimming ability, versus 45 percent of Latinx children and 40 percent of white kids.
A 2014 study also found that black children between the ages of 5 and 19 were five and a half times more likely to drown in swimming pools than white kids of the same age.
Here’s the thing: Black folks weren’t always thought to be non-swimmers.
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