Brut America
Brut America
  • 3 days ago
For decades, Black Americans were kept out of public pools and beaches. In many ways, lack of access still persists today.

This group is on a mission to break the cycle.

Thanks to Black People Will Swim.
Transcript
00:00It has been said that black people can't swim simply because our bones are too dense.
00:05That is simply, absolutely false.
00:08Do it, out here.
00:09Yes!
00:11That's what I'm talking about!
00:13You guys can vacation different now?
00:15Yes!
00:16After I jumped, she said, your boyfriend would be so proud of you.
00:20And it made me instantly tear up because, yeah, because I know that he would.
00:30Do you have a few graduates today?
00:47Hey guys, what is going on?
00:49My name is Polana, the founder of Black People Will Swim.
00:52And I'm going to give you an inside look on what our swim classes are like.
00:55Come on in.
00:56Good.
00:57Kick, kick, kick, kick.
00:58Point your toes.
01:00Good job.
01:01We noticed that this was a demand in our community,
01:04that more black people and people of color really wanted to know how to swim.
01:09And so from there, got the ball rolling, and we started Black People Will Swim.
01:29Came in as a novice swimmer, and now I'm an expert now.
01:32I feel like if any of my family members join in,
01:34I want to be able to jump in with confidence and save them.
01:36I'm from an island, but I didn't know how to swim, and I got teased a lot about it.
01:40And it was also something that was on my bucket list.
01:43It's great for our community to know that there's an organization
01:47that understands our history, and they're doing something about it.
01:59Black People Will Swim
02:17The study shows, history shows, that black people do not have access to pools,
02:23and most importantly, clean pools, right?
02:26That's one.
02:27Two, affordability.
02:29Swimming is a really expensive sport.
02:31And three, education.
02:33There is a lack of education when it comes down to swimming in the African American community.
02:38You want to make sure that you are educating yourself,
02:41providing you with the necessary skills and knowledge to save your life,
02:44and possibly someone else's.
02:46Really, the most dangerous person is someone who's drowning,
02:49because they will pull you down to save themselves, okay?
02:53Alright, who's my victim?
02:55Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, it's okay.
02:57Oh my God, grab the noodle, grab it, grab it, grab it.
03:02Okay, are you okay?
03:03I'm back to shore, okay?
03:05Are you okay?
03:07Black People Will Swim's four pillars, it comes down to face.
03:10F is for fun.
03:11Kick, baby, kick.
03:13No, kick!
03:14Kick!
03:15I'm kicking!
03:16Out your nose, keep going.
03:18Out your nose, keep going.
03:19The whole time, she's like...
03:22I'm like, no, out your nose!
03:25A is for awareness.
03:26You want to make sure that whenever water's in your face,
03:29you still want to maintain that same composure.
03:31See how I'm splashing Yolanda?
03:33C is for community.
03:35Yeah, who's a certified swimmer?
03:37And then E is for education.
03:38Make sure you hold her right here,
03:40and then wait till somebody come, but you're on your chest.
03:43Woo!
03:49Come on, come on, you almost there.
03:52There we go.
03:53And do it, out here.
03:54Yes!
03:57Yes!
03:59That's what I'm talking about!
04:00You guys should be proud of yourselves, you know?
04:03You guys can vacation different now.
04:05Okay, no more sitting by the pool.
04:07We're going to be swimming in the pool.
04:09This means everything to me.
04:11Now I can brag about it to my friends,
04:13and especially my family.
04:15I went on a trip with my boyfriend to Antigua.
04:18He was snorkeling, and I was still on a boat.
04:20And he's like, you've got to really learn how to swim.
04:22So he paid for it and signed me up.
04:24And unfortunately, two weeks ago,
04:26my boyfriend passed away from an asthma attack,
04:29and I wasn't going to come to the classes.
04:32I forced myself to come because he paid for it,
04:34and he wanted me to do it.
04:35And after I jumped, she said,
04:37your boyfriend would be so proud of you.
04:39And it made me instantly tear up,
04:41because, yeah, because I know that he would.