Bill Text: NJ AR61 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges recreational programs, swim schools, and swim teams to promote participation by African-American youth in swim programs.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee [AR61 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-AR61-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman WILLIAM W. SPEARMAN
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Urges recreational programs, swim schools, and swim teams to promote participation by African-American youth in swim programs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Assembly Resolution urging recreational programs, swim schools, and swim teams to promote participation by African-American youth in swim programs.
Whereas, Drowning is the fifth leading cause of injury death for persons of all ages, and the second leading cause of injury death for children between the ages of one and 14; and
Whereas, Each day, approximately ten people die from unintentional drowning; of those ten, two will be children aged fourteen years of age or younger; and
Whereas, More children between the ages of one and four die from drowning than any other cause of death; and
Whereas, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African-American children between the ages of five and 19 drown in swimming pools at rates more than five times higher than those of white children; and
Whereas, Eleven and 12 year old African- American children drown in swimming pools at rates ten times higher than those of white children; and
Whereas, In the United States, the ability to swim is divided along racial lines; and
Whereas, White Americans are twice as likely to know how to swim as African Americans; and
Whereas, The origin of this disparity can be traced to the 1920s and 1930s, when thousands of public swimming pools were opened across the country, creating a culture of swimming for millions of Americans; and
Whereas, However, because of Jim Crow laws, these public pools were segregated and only a fraction of them were intended for use by African Americans; and
Whereas, In the 1940s and 1950s, federal court decisions desegregated public spaces, including swimming pools and, as a result, white swimmers abandoned municipal pools; and
Whereas, This led to a drop of community investment in public swimming pools. Municipalities did not invest in building new pools as they had previously, maintenance on existing pools was neglected, and eventually dilapidated pools were closed down rather than repaired; and
Whereas, Because of this pattern of discrimination, swimming did not become a significant part of the recreational culture within African American communities; and
Whereas, Today, nearly 60 years after the abolishment of the Jim Crow laws that kept African Americans from public swimming pools, many African American children still never get a chance to learn how to swim; and
Whereas, USA Swimming, the nation's organizing body for the sport, has 337,000 members, of whom only approximately one percent are African American; and
Whereas, Despite Simone Manuel's Olympic gold medal success in 2016, only three of 45 swimmers on the 2016 Olympic team were African-American, and out of 107 historically black colleges and universities, not one has a functioning 50-meter pool; and
Whereas, With few role models and scarce opportunities to learn how to swim, many African American children view swimming as an inaccessible and uninviting sport, and an inability to swim prevents African Americans teens from being qualified for a variety of summer employment opportunities, including lifeguards and camp counselors; and
Whereas, Recreational programs, swim schools, and swim teams should promote participation by African-Americans in youth swim programs in order to combat racial stereotypes, increase access to swimming pools for children living in the inner cities, expand employment opportunities, and ultimately save the lives of African-American youth in the State of New Jersey; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House encourages recreational programs, swim schools, and swim teams to promote participation by African-American youth in swim programs in order to combat racial stereotypes, increase access to swimming pools for children living in the inner cities, expand employment opportunities, and ultimately save the lives of African-American youth in the State of New Jersey.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to USA Swimming and the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association.
STATEMENT
In the United States, the ability to swim is divided along racial lines. White Americans are twice as likely to know how to swim as African Americans. The origin of this disparity can be traced to the 1920s and 1930s when thousands of public swimming pools were opened across the country, creating a culture of swimming for millions of Americans. However, because of Jim Crow laws, these public pools were segregated and only a fraction of them were intended for use by African Americans.
In the 1940s and 1950s, federal court decisions desegregated public spaces, including swimming pools and, as a result, white swimmers abandoned municipal pools. This led to a drop of community investment in public swimming pools. Municipalities did not invest in building new pools as they had previously, maintenance on existing pools was neglected, and eventually dilapidated pools were closed down rather than repaired. As a result, swimming did not become a significant part of the recreational culture within African American communities
This resolution encourages recreational programs, swim schools, and swim teams to promote participation by African-American youth in swim programs in order to combat racial stereotypes, increase access to swimming pools for all children living in the inner cities, expand employment opportunities, and ultimately save the lives of African-American youth in the State of New Jersey.
