Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In the 1600s, Europeans were so astounded by African swimming abilities that they were compared to mermaids. Now, black children in modern America are 6x more likely to drown than white ones. How important is swimming? How did American racism impact the black swim rate? Do you know how to swim?
A Black History of Swimming
0:00- Intro
1:13-- Pre-Colonial Africa and Enslavement
5:40-- Segregated Beaches and Pools
8:22- Swim Heroism and Swim Activism
12:43-- Mimi Jones and The Monson Moto Lodge
14:29-- Post Civil Rights Act Swimming
16:46-- The Importance of Swim Instruction
19:57-- Aaren Rudolph, Black Aqua Man
20:44-- Outro
Charles Jackson French, Robert Williams, NAACP, Mamie Livingstone, Mimi Jones, Pasadena Beach Club, Bruces Beach, Highland Park Pool, UNC Chapel Hill, Floyd McKissick, Martin Luther King Jr, Lyndon B Johnson, St Augustine Florida, do black people swim, black people swim jokes, do black people know how to swim, Al Campanis, Ted Koppel, Al Campanis racism, dive in, swim in, Chicago race riots, chicago 1919, Eugene Williams, how to learn how to swim, where to learn how to swim, teach me how to swim, black girls swimming, black people swimming, 2010 Louisiana drowning tragedy, Dekendrix Warner, red river, patapsco river, drowning, how many people drown every year, surfing, early surfing, surfing videos, black people surfing, Jayda Wayda, swimsuits, stealing swimsuits, mint swim, swimsuit reviews, trying on swimsuits
Love the content? Support for $1/month on patreon.com/intelexualmedia
Sources, essays, exclusive videos, a podcast, reading lists, and much more are available ON PATREON.
In the 1600s, Europeans were so astounded by African swimming abilities that they were compared to mermaids. Now, black children in modern America are 6x more likely to drown than white ones. How important is swimming? How did American racism impact the black swim rate? Do you know how to swim?
A Black History of Swimming
0:00- Intro
1:13-- Pre-Colonial Africa and Enslavement
5:40-- Segregated Beaches and Pools
8:22- Swim Heroism and Swim Activism
12:43-- Mimi Jones and The Monson Moto Lodge
14:29-- Post Civil Rights Act Swimming
16:46-- The Importance of Swim Instruction
19:57-- Aaren Rudolph, Black Aqua Man
20:44-- Outro
Charles Jackson French, Robert Williams, NAACP, Mamie Livingstone, Mimi Jones, Pasadena Beach Club, Bruces Beach, Highland Park Pool, UNC Chapel Hill, Floyd McKissick, Martin Luther King Jr, Lyndon B Johnson, St Augustine Florida, do black people swim, black people swim jokes, do black people know how to swim, Al Campanis, Ted Koppel, Al Campanis racism, dive in, swim in, Chicago race riots, chicago 1919, Eugene Williams, how to learn how to swim, where to learn how to swim, teach me how to swim, black girls swimming, black people swimming, 2010 Louisiana drowning tragedy, Dekendrix Warner, red river, patapsco river, drowning, how many people drown every year, surfing, early surfing, surfing videos, black people surfing, Jayda Wayda, swimsuits, stealing swimsuits, mint swim, swimsuit reviews, trying on swimsuits
Love the content? Support for $1/month on patreon.com/intelexualmedia
Sources, essays, exclusive videos, a podcast, reading lists, and much more are available ON PATREON.
