As a migrant, I enjoy swimming in Australian beaches and feel quite comfortable in the water.
I am fortunate I learned how to swim in Kenya as a child. My dad insisted that my siblings and I get swimming lessons every weekend so we would be comfortable in water as adults. Dad had learned how to swim as an adult. My mother can’t swim, so he decided it was a skill his kids needed to learn. Dad was in a financial position to pay for one-on-one swimming lessons. Had that not been the case, my siblings and I probably wouldn’t know how to swim today.
Sadly I can’t say the same for some of my African-Australian friends. On more than one occasion either at a beach or swimming pool, there has been a real danger of someone I know coming close to drowning.
Dorcas Mbugua in the pool. Photo: Annette Widitz Source: Supplied
This is why John Legend coming out to his followers admitting that he can’t swim and wants to learn is a big deal. It also turns out his head was never breathing fine, but we can take that up with him later. Legend also revealed that his father learned how to swim at 60.
in the US has been deeply impacted by the racial segregation laws of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The laws enforced policies where African-Americans were barred from using the same facilities as Caucasians – swimming pools included. As a result, African-Americans had very limited access to swimming pools or lessons. Even when they could access swimming pools, African-Americans were subjected to vicious physical and even chemical attacks.
Legend’s wife Chrissy Tiegen has also admitted she does not know how to swim, making it difficult for the couple to teach their children a skill they do not possess.
Like Legend, many of my friends from the African diaspora have inherited water fear and consider any beach activity as an extreme sport. They would be happy to auction their front teeth to avoid getting anywhere near the ocean.
If there is a sense of a general , it’s difficult to change that mindset in an adult. It is more likely that fear will get passed down generations, leading to children who are not exposed to water or provided the opportunity to learn how to swim, and at greater risk of drowning.
, swimming lessons, members-only sports clubs is related to income and social status. Migrants and other people not born in Australia may not have access to the same information as those born in Australia, like where to sign up for free classes, swimming lessons, access to private pools and beach side real estate, or drowning awareness campaigns.
In the social media age, there is also the additional pressure of looking glam in the water in summer.
Social media posts of people at #poolparties looking #summertimefine or holding a coconut in a perfectly manicured hand with a clear blue beach as a backdrop are just that – curated illusions.
Consider as the perfect example of the spectacular fail of a campaign run entirely on social media fantasy, targeting impressionable millennials with the help of social media influencers.
John Legend’s post is encouraging and necessary reminder to honour one’s own truth. His awkward learning to swim posts, are a happy reminder for those who can’t swim that it is never too late to overcome embarrassment and seek the help and resources to learn this crucial skill.
Dorcas Mbugua is an employment lawyer based in Melbourne. You can follow Dorcas on Twitter .
