Capstones

Graduation Date

Fall 12-19-2020

Grading Professor

Tim Harper

Subject Concentration

Arts & Culture

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Abstract

Swimming While Black

By: Yasmine Chisolm

The reality of swimming while Black, and the reckoning that needs to take place with Black Americans access to health and wellness resources.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, swimming is the fourth most popular sports activity in the United States and a good way to get regular aerobic physical activity." The CDC site declares that "just two and a half hours per week of aerobic physical activity, such as swimming, bicycling, or running, can decrease the risk of chronic illnesses. This can also lead to improved health for people with diabetes and heart diseases." Whether you're a recreational swimmer, an Olympic champion, a pregnant mother, or an infant without a sense of fear - there's a place in the water for you. The sport is not only beneficial for physical health, but there are various mental health benefits. Swimming can reduce depression and anxiety and improve your overall mood by releasing happy feelings known as endorphins.

But when you're a Black in America, the likelihood is you don't know how to swim. Over 70% percent of people that look like me don't know that experience. There's generational trauma that meets them before their feet hit the water, and systemic racism plagues their access to something as crucial as water. My capstone explores the systemic racism that stands in the way of access to pools, the importance of a Black swimming community, and health and wellness reparations.

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