TikToker Says the ‘Black People Can’t Swim’ Stereotype Stems From Historical Pool Exclusion — X Commenters Dispute the Framing

A woman tried to debunk a stereotype about black people and swimming and was schooled by the internet. She attributed lower swimming rates in Black communities to historical exclusion from public pools and swimming lessons. 

The Daily Dot was unable to uncover the original video on TikTok, but @iAnonPatriot shared the video on their X account.

According to the video obtained by them, the woman brought up the previously mentioned assumption and asked if people had ever heard it before. Or if people wondered where the idea came from. 

First, the woman clarified that the statement “black people can’t swim” is untrue. She also mentioned that it came from history. She claimed that for centuries, there was a denial of access to many public pools, swimming lessons, and opportunities to learn water safety. 

She said, “This was never about biology…” In text overlaid on the video, the woman mentioned that children belonging to the community weren’t drowning because of nature. Rather, it was because of the lack of access to the previously mentioned privileges. 

She concluded her video with a final statement: “When we ignore that history, we don’t just get the past wrong; we make it easier to explain away a family’s grief instead of meeting it with empathy.” 

Lastly, she added, “When we know the truth, it’s a little harder to dismiss someone’s loss.” The woman did not further clarify or explain herself in the video. But it did spark quite a response online. 

The Woman Tried to Debunk a Stereotype—The Internet Corrected Her Instead

Her video has been viewed over 66,000 times on the verified X account, followed by multiple quotes and reshares of it. Several commenters disputed her account, sharing personal experiences as counterpoints.

One verified X user, @GlennRemmington, responded to her video with his own experience. They described it as “weird.” 

He said, “I grew up in Southeast DC, the blackest, poorest areas in the country…Somehow, I still managed to both get into pools but also learned how to swim in them. Crazy!”

Like this user, many others claimed she was incorrect in her statements.  Another individual responded to the stereotypical claim addressed by the woman and said, “I’m a black man, and I can swim just fine…”

Lastly, some called the woman’s logical claims “wild.”They said, “People have been learning to swim for generations now, regardless of history.” 

The Daily Dot was unable to independently locate the original TikTok video. The details above reflect the clip as shared on X by @iAnonPatriot. The identity of the woman in the video has not been confirmed.