Racial Disparities in Swimming and Drowning: History Matters Wendy Cook School of Nursing and Department of Bioethics & Humanities
Drowning in U.S. Preventable cause of death and disability 5th leading cause of accidental death 80% of drowning victims are males 1 in 5 are children under 15 Higher drowning rates for African Americans and other minorities compared to drowning rates for whites for all age groups
Drowning and Swimming Disparities Ages 5-14: 3 times more African Americans drown than do whites Ages 11-12: 10 times more African Americans drown in swimming pools than do whites Fewer minorities learn to swim compared to whites Twice as many AAs report being unable to swim compared to whites
Swimming and Race in a Enslaved swimmers and divers Historical Context Racial segregation of swimming pools Swimming pools as means to control urban minorities http://fansinaflashbulb.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/taking-a-break-from-the-summer-heat/
Enslaved Swimmers and Divers Kevin Dawson 2006 Enslaved Swimmers and Divers in the Atlantic World The Journal of American History http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/slavery/details.php?categorynum=10&categoryname=miscellaneous Occupations and Economic Activities&theRecord=63&recordCount=97
Enslaved Swimmers and Divers http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/slavetrade/collection/large/hw0012.jpg
Enslaved Swimmers and Divers http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/slavetrade/collection/large/hw0013.jpg
Jeff Wiltse 2007 Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America
Racial Segregation of American Swimming Pools http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/05/1964-civil-rights-battles/100744/ Danny Lyon/Library of Congress
Wiltse: When cities permitted males and females to swim together, white swimmers and public officials suddenly attempted to separate blacks from whites whites in general objected to black men having the opportunity to interact with white women at such intimate and erotic public spaces (p. 124).
St. Augustine, Florida June 18, 1964 http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/05/1964-civil-rights-battles/100744/ AP Photo
St. Augustine, Florida June 25, 1964 http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/05/1964-civil-rights-battles/100744/ AP Photo
Chicago, Illinois July 1966 Heat Wave http://urbanhistorians.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/summer-on-my-mind/
Pools to Control Urban Minorities http://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/the-312/june-2011/flash-mobs-and-chicago-beach-violence/ Chicago Tribune
Pools to Control Urban Minorities Wiltse: Local and national politicians believed that swimming pools would help alleviate the social tensions that precipitated the violence and quite literally cool down angry and frustrated urban blacks (p. 182).
Mobile Mini Pools http://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/pools
Pools to Control Urban Minorities Wiltse: Cities throughout the country rushed to build pools that would essentially quarantine angry black citizens (p. 210).
Portable Mini Pools http://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/pools
Pools to Control Urban Minorities Wiltse: Public officials used municipal pools as asylums, to concentrate the urban poor at particular public spaces so that they would not wreak havoc elsewhere (p. 210).
Swimming Today in U.S. AA adolescent girls report higher fear of swimming than any other racial group AA parents more fearful of their children drowning compared to white parents Swimming has become an activity of privilege Perceived to be a white activity Social justice problem Essential life skill How did history get us here? http://www.poolsafety.gov
Time s Up! About you: Name: Wendy Cook Department: Nursing and Bioethics Contact Information: wacook@uw.edu Quick bio: PhD Candidate in Nursing Science, MA student in Bioethics, dissertation research is focused on experiences of research participants