black people don’t swim

written on February 15, 2016

Good ol’ stereotypes. Still breathing.

Defining you before you even learn that you can define yourself.

Black people don’t swim. At least that’s what I felt like black kids in my community grew up believing.

I would dread the days in elementary when we had field trips to the pool.

The white girls had hair that would dry nice and neat.

While my wet curly hair went right into a giant frizz.

During middle school, I would hold in the tears I felt trying to survive swimming class.

Then there came the summers.

Where kids from every part of the town would spend hours a day at the community pool.

Many to get shades darker. Afterall, tis the season where it was cool to look like us.

A few times each summer my mom would take my sisters and i to the pool.

During the bus ride down she’d remind us of our rules.

Don’t leave one of your sisters in the water alone.

And most importantly, watch rahma (my youngest sibling at the time).

Once we were in the water we did what we usually do.

Stand there. Walk anywhere that kept our head above the water. Splash each other and have holding-your-breath contests.

Until we realized we broke all of mama’s rules.

In the pool next to ours was rahma, all alone, gasping for air.

While we raced out the pool and into the next came a wailing sound.

To be continued…

(click here to read part II)