64% of Black kids can’t swim. Meet the woman changing that

Drowning is the #1 cause of death for kids ages 1-4 and 64% of Black kids can’t swim. Paulana Lamonier is a New York City native who tweeted a few years ago that she wanted to teach 30 Black kids to swim. It went viral, she quit her job, launched ‘Black People Will Swim’ and now teaches Black folks to swim full time. By the end of this year, her organization will have taught 2,500 Black folks to swim. There’s a reason the stereotype ‘black people can’t swim’ has been around for decades — the segregation and privatization of swimming pools in the 1950s made it increasingly difficult for Black folks to swim. Paulana and ‘Black People Will Swim’ are fighting to empower Black kids and adults alike to reclaim the water for themselves. In this week’s Stay Tuned, we meet Paulana, her instructors, parents and kids involved in the program, and learn why swimming is so important to this community.May 13, 2024