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As school gets out for the summer and the sun begins to blaze, children want to spend time with their friends and jump into pools to seek relief from the heat. In the summer of 2019, one of those children was 10-year-old Elijah Moore. He was on a week-long overnight camping trip with Project Kindred, a youth development program in Milwaukee dedicated to disrupting the cycle of segregation by uniting and empowering youth leaders through transformative experiences.
Excited for hiking, bunk beds, and roasted marshmallows, Elijah was ready to build special memories with his fellow campers. Many of Elijah’s friends at camp jumped right in the deep end – his swimming ability being non-existent, he was restricted to the shallows of the pool. Elijah was not alone; the broader and alarming reality is historical and institutional barriers prevent Black and brown children from learning swimming and water safety.
Disinvestment in neighborhood pools
Despite Milwaukee’s designation as a Water Centric City, our Black and brown communities have experienced decades of disinvestment in neighborhood pools, resulting in improper maintenance, a lack of qualified lifeguards, and closures of aquatic facilities. These factors significantly limit public access to water for both education and recreation.
Drowning rates are rising across the nation. As of May 2024, drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children ages 1–4, rising disproportionately among Black children. In fact, Black children age 5-19 are nearly six times more likely to drown in a swimming pool than their White peers.
Key to basic proficiency and prevention of drowning, 55% of US adults have never taken swimming lessons, rising to 72% and 63% among Black and Hispanic individuals, respectively. When a parent does not know how to swim, there is only a 19% chance that their child will learn.
Plunging in
Water safety education is a critical part of drowning prevention to learn about the risks and dangers associated with water; how to respond in emergencies;- and how to stay safe while enjoying activities in, on, and around the water.
Less than a year after attending summer camp, Elijah drew inspiration from his fellow campers, setting his sights on learning to swim. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Elijah’s mom, Rae Johnson, enrolled him in Milwaukee Recreation swimming lessons at North Division High School. At each lesson, adults were required to be in the water with their child. Despite this being a pandemic-era guideline to maintain physical distancing, this added requirement forced the parents to reassess their own water skills and safety.
While some adults may have shivered at the thought, Rae was excited to support Elijah’s swimming goals and encourage him to learn a skill she never grasped in her youth. As a result, Rae improved her own swimming ability and comfort level in the water. The 8-week swim lessons served as a shared accomplishment and equipped their family with more confidence in their swim ability and water safety knowledge.
Returning as a veteran camper, Elijah passed the swim test and jumped into the deep end with his friends. Today, Elijah cherishes the social, mental, and physical aspects that swim ability brings. Elijah would go on to receive a scouting swim merit badge, swim competitively with the Milwaukee Krakens, brave the frigid waters of Lake Michigan for the New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge, and gain a lifelong joy and comfort for swimming.
We must prioritize water safety education
Elijah is an anomaly among young Black boys in Milwaukee and much of the country. Limited access to safe aquatic environments and water safety education has created a lasting impression of exclusion spanning across generations. Long overdue, it is time for all state and local government agencies, K-12 schools, and community organizations to join efforts to prioritize water safety education for all children.
Together, let’s work toward creating a future where all swimmers in Milwaukee can confidently and safely embrace the power, joy, and freedom of water – and leap into the deep end. Elijah’s message about water safety is a powerful call to action for all, “Take charge of your own safety. Speak up and ask for help learning how to swim.”
This collective investment means building on what local governments like Milwaukee County and Milwaukee Recreation have already done.
- Allocate funding to the repair, restoration, and reopening of pools in historically underserved neighborhoods.
- Ensure pools are staffed with culturally competent and well trained instructors, lifeguards, and aquatic facility personnel.
- Implement programs and initiatives, like the Jr. Lifeguard Program and Aquatics Ambassadors MKE, designed to provide a safe learning environment while processing cultural, historical, and personal challenges or fears of the water.
Jesse Ambos-Kleckley participated in Milwaukee Parks Foundation’s Aquatics Ambassador MKE program, a collaboration with Milwaukee County Parks to support their lifeguard pipeline. Elijah Moore and Rae Johnson are also inaugural ambassadors. Dr. Ben Weston is chief health policy adviser at Milwaukee County and Chief Medical Director at the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management.
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