Reclaiming the Water

Why I’m in awe of the Howard University swimming and diving team

By Gina Miller

When we follow threads back through history, appalling origins or explanations for certain contemporary social issues / racial matters are often discovered.  This was my experience when I took hold of my children’s (and my own) education.  It set me on a path whereby I feel compelled to get underneath things and gain historical context and true understanding.  Many things that I have learned through the years have been shocking and heartbreaking, and our country’s history with regard to swimming and water is one such example.

Notably, before the slave trade, historical records show that Africans were excellent swimmers, and that capability was often exploited by enslavers.  (Enslaved people were often put to work as fishermen and divers, for example.)  When it became apparent that swimming could also be a means of escape, however, the enslavers used violent methods (as well as fearmongering) to force enslaved people not to swim. 

And then we can look at the racial inequity and violence that were baked into the history of swimming pools in America – with pools not being built in neighborhoods that were populated predominantly with Black people and, later, with pools that were racially segregated and highly unequal (much like schools) – that is if Black people were even able to use them without experiencing violent assaults that occurred in places such as Pittsburgh.

As an aside, I’ve noticed that, in many ways, water has represented life or death for Black people. I can attest to that based on what I’ve learned after marrying into a Gullah family.  Of course, many lives were lost as some enslaved people jumped overboard during the Middle Passage.  Those who ended up here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina were often driven from the inland to the outskirts, near the water, because that land was deemed less valuable. As a result, Gullah culture became entwined with the water, which sustained them for generations.  It’s also why many historic Gullah cemeteries are located near the water – not to mention that the Gullah see this as a way for the spirit of the dead to be able to travel back to Africa.

Our history sheds light on so much of what we see today.  To me, it’s no wonder that many Black people are fighting hard to reclaim the water.  And this is one of the reasons that the story of the Howard University swimming and diving team moves me so deeply. 

Check out this inspiring video.