[defrost]

A great many older US communities had public swimming pools, they were segregated and black children were kept out.

Come the era of civil rights a good number of these pools were closed down and filled in rather than allow mixed race swimming.

"White flight", redlining, and other economic pressures worked to keep new community pools coming into place in black neighbourhoods.

https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2019/07/wolcott-segreg...

> and black families were generally less able to afford paid swimming lessons for their children.

Nearly everbody I know swims, black, white, etc. but I'm not sure very many had paid swimming lessons.

With accessable pools and beaches the swimming part comes along with people being in the water.