CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Several recent drownings in North Carolina are drawing attention to an unsettling gap when it comes to minorities and swimming. About 70 percent of black children do not know how to swim, compared to 40 percent of white kids.
A study by USA Swimming blames the gap on income and lack of inner-city pools. For decades, segregation kept minorities out of swimming pools. The disparity continues because of lack of access, but the No. 1 reason is fear.
"The parents have been afraid of water all their life, so that's the biggest barrier between them and wanting to get their child to learn to swim," Simmons YMCA Aquatics Director Dave Buskey said.
This week, 53-year-old Herbert James drowned in Lake Norman after the boat he was in sank. The week before that, 19-year-old Ryan Hayes drowned while swimming in a quarry in Mooresville. Braxton Horton, 19, drowned earlier this month in Atlantic Beach, and in May, 21-year-old Kwesi Sample and 19-year-old Shak Pershey both drowned on the coast. All were African-American.
To help children of all backgrounds, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte is offering financial assistance this summer for swim lessons.
For more information, click here.
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