At the age of 42, Tamka Bosik decided that she wanted to learn how to swim. Bstic said he tried to sign his teenager for a lesson, but his daughter said that he wanted his mother to learn to swim first.
“Ma, you do it first and see how it is, and then I will do it,” Bosic remembered CBS News just before starting his early swimming class in Westbury, New York not-for-profit organization Black people will swim. “I wanted to learn how to swim, so I was so, ‘You know what? I will do it.”
Bstic said that he did not have much access to the pool in New York City’s housing projects, so he did not have a chance to learn.
Jared Ochcher CBS News 
“There is a stigma, black people cannot swim,” said Bosik.
Paulna Lamonier, the founder of Black Peepal Will Swimming, launched the organization in 2020 to help students such as Bosic. He said that he did not see enough black and brown swimmers, which meant that more black people teaching to swim in an attempt to create a wave effect of trainers and lifeguards, he said.
Lamonier’s goal to make swimming more accessible for black people lies in the history of isolation and lacks equity in aquatic places.
“The number is not a lie,” said Lamonier. “Black and brown people are more likely to drown than their white counterparts.”
Separation in swimming
For decades, in the early 1900s, such as pool mixed-lingo began to open for swimming across the United States, the opportunities for black Americans to reach water. In 1913, St. Louis opened its first gender-acquired swimming pool, causing racial stress when black swimmer could use the pool. In the integrated swimming pool, riots started breaking and the federal mandate was ordered to have racial separation of pools in various cities, According For USA swimming.
Jeff Wiltse, Professor of History of Montana University, has researched racial inequalities in swimming.
during A university lecture In 2023, Wiltse said, “Consular isolation, racial exclusion, was not just one incident in the south. It was a nationwide incident, even though it was a bit different and how it happened in reality.”
After 1973, the pool across the US became more accessible Supreme Court ruled A swimming association may not limit membership or deny entering a pool depending on racial reasons.
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Nevertheless, research suggests that 64% black children have no swimming potential, According For USA swimming. Black people under the age of 30 are 1.5 times It is more likely to sink more than your white peers – with the growing starrer, inequality for children, disease control and prevention centers found. The CDC says that black children are 7.6 times older at the age of 10–14 years.
“Drowning is one of the most popular sources of death among African American men,” Said Dr. Samuel Myers, Junior, Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice, a professor and director at the University of Minnesota.
An economist Myers told CBS News that he started researching racial inequalities in swimming after meeting his daughter’s swimming, where he says he was often the only black parents. He said that he asked himself, “How is it possible that there are very little black swimmers in this pool?”
Myers said they found His research A correlation between drowning rates and black lifeguards, “sinking rates are low” when “more black lifeguards” are “more black lifeguards”.
Myers said, “There are policies that we can apply to reduce drowning.”
A fixed change
When she moved to the suburbs in Long Island in New York City, Bosik did not determine herself to repeat history. She had two daughters and swear that her children would learn to swim.
He said that her children are nine years different, and her oldest daughter is a good swimmer. He said that he saw that advertisements for black people would float on social media. A discount was offered, and so he signed up.
The scholarship of partner organizations supports new swimmers, as the lesson can be cost-reliable for many. External Afro, One of the black people is one of the Swim’s fellow outfits, through his “Making Waves” program, has given more than 3,000 “swimmers” to swimmers in black and brown communities.
Founder Rue Map told CBS News He heard a lot of black people stories through his work in 30 states and his network through his work, encouraging people to go to great outdoor – and felt forced to act.
Jared Ochcher CBS News 
“This is a public health crisis,” he said. “No children, no one in America, there should be no obstruction in connecting with water.”
But the map said in some cases, “People often don’t know where to start.”
“A door needs to be opened,” he said. “People go to invest in swimming, they just require an early lesson.”
Bostick – who said that she drives 40 minutes to participate in her lessons – said that it was very humble to swim, inhale and use water security skills “was very humble.” Bstic said she went to swim on the fourth date of July, and was able to keep an eye on her around her.
“I was able to use the skills that I learned from here,” she said. “I felt like a superstar!”
Bostick said that he was grateful that he took time as an adult to learn to swim.
Bosik said, “I have nothing to be embarrassed, I am 42 and I am learning now.” “And I like it! I wanted me to learn when I was young. But I am grateful that I stepped outside my comfort zone and I am grateful to my daughter to go first.”
