[ad_1]
There are few things more exhilarating than jumping into cool water on a hot day.
These are beautiful times that we not only cherish, but continue to desire all of our lives. So imagine what it is like to be denied that joy.
The scars of our society are hidden in the most unusual places.
“I think my work has really reshaped the way the public understands swimming as an issue of social equality, social justice and social inequality,” said University of Montana professor Jeff Wiltse and author of “Contested Waters”.
He is a rare expert on the racist history of swimming. A conversation with him opens our eyes to the dark side of something that is generally considered bright and cheerful.
From the start, he crushes a common fallacy: Black people are not physically made to swim.
“In the 19th century, people of African descent were more accomplished swimmers than people of European descent. They were more likely to be swimmers and more likely to be better swimmers.”
It was what happened in the 20th century that changed everything.
“There were thousands of public swimming pools that were built in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s,” he said.
It was a revolution in swimming. In an era when there was no air conditioning, people suddenly had a way to find wonderful relief from the heat – but not everyone.
“The vast majority of these pools were for whites only. And the Jim Crow pools that were accessible to black Americans tended to be small and much less desirable,” Wiltse said.
For generations, the public swimming pool has become a classic example of white supremacy. Even though the pools were funded with government money, working and taxpaying minorities across the country were not allowed.
FACEism: Pictures show clash between police and protesters in Eastern LA that changed the Chicano movement
Even when the courts began to order that public swimming pools be made available to all, our society continued to evolve in hateful ways.
“There were literally tens of thousands of private club pools that were developed in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, almost without exception these tens of thousands of pools were for whites,” Wiltse said.
And those public pools that were now built in were closed because white people refused to use them.
Swimming pools have become battlegrounds. Chicago, Pittsburgh, Saint Louis were scenes of terrible violence where white crowds attacked anyone of color who dared to enter.
But perhaps the most significant confrontation took place in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1964, when African Americans and other protesters jumped into an all-white motel pool. What happened next has become an iconic moment in the civil rights movement.
“The pool manager poured acid into the water to drive the protesters out of the pool, which in my opinion reveals the cruel sentiment behind opposition to interracial swimming,” Wiltse said. “This has provoked a backlash against racial discrimination in various forms. “
One of the reasons this has become “the moment” is that the architects of the civil rights movement have come forward: Reverend Ralph Abernathy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“We weren’t allowed to swim with white kids. They thought we had lice or something,” said Donzaleigh Abernathy, daughter of Ralph Abernathy.
Donzaleigh Abernathy and his father Ralph were very good friends with MLK. In fact, it was King who learned to swim in Donzaleigh, but in a friend’s private pool. Public pools were not available. She remembers St. Augustine and how her father and King knew it was time to fight.
“I know they were arrested in St. Augustine, and I know they confronted the man who owned the Monson Hotel, and I think they were arrested there after facing him.” said Donzaleigh Abernathy.
It is now a famous photo. Two giants, in prison together, fight for the right to swim.
Even Mr. Rogers would join the fight. In a beautifully crafted moment, he invites a black policeman into his small pool. Mr. Rogers and Officer Clemmons were shaping a new generation of thought.
Unfortunately, enormous damage has been done. African Americans are now wrestling over water over a century of denial.
“Swimming is not passed down from generation to generation. And instead, what got passed down is actually a fear of the water,” Wiltse said.
If you want to understand how the racism of the past continues to leave its ugly mark, listen to this:
“Black Americans are about half as likely to be able to swim as white Americans, and black children are, depending on their age, three to five times more likely to drown than white children.”
A cool swimming pool on a hot summer day can be pure joy for some, but not for all. Hatred of the past continues to drag us down.
And it’s not all black. Before and after World War II in Los Angeles, all people of color – Asians, Latinos, and blacks – were not allowed into public swimming pools except the day before they were cleaned. That says it all.
Stream all of our Faceism stories now on our ABC7 Los Angeles app on Roku, FireTV, Apple TV and AndroidTV.
Copyright 2021 KABC-TV. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
picture credit