VIDEO. Brut met the collective “Black People Will Swim” in New York

“Kick! Point your toes!“This swimming lesson aims to put an end to the received idea that black people cannot swim. Paulana Lamonier is the founder of “Black People Will Swim”, a collective offering low-cost swimming lessons for African Americans, in New York. “We had noticed that there was this expectation in our community. More and more black and racialized people really want to learn to swim”, she explains.

“There are people who say black people can’t swim because our bones are too dense.”

Swimming has long been inaccessible to this community. During segregation in the United States, black people were banned from the beaches. Today, their drowning rate remains 50% higher than for whites. “There are people who say black people can’t swim because our bones are too dense. It’s completely wrong”, confirms Paulana Lamonier.

For some participants, graduating from swimming is more than just learning a new skill. This is the case of Ulyssa, who had been registered by her boyfriend. “Unfortunately, two weeks ago, my boyfriend passed away from an asthma attack. I didn’t want to come to class. I forced myself, because he had paid, he wanted me to learn. When I jumped, Paulana said to me: ‘Your boyfriend would have been proud of you.’ It made me cry right away, because… I know it’s true.”