Nonprofit group targets swimming's racial disparity with Juneteenth program at Raleigh's Pullen Park

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's summer break for third grader Tanasha Yates and she's spending the start of it at Pullen Park's indoor pool with her mother, Nikya.

Her mom told ABC11 it's a fun day, but she has concerns about letting her daughter out of sight.

"She cannot swim by herself. She can swim with a life jacket," Nikya said. "If she's with me, I will make sure she's by me so I can get to her instantly and make sure she's in life jackets and if possible, look into training."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are health disparities in drownings. Black children are more likely to drown in public pools, and white children are more likely to drown in residential pools.

The data shows Black children between the ages of 10-14 drown in pools at rates 7.6 times higher than white children. In natural water, American Indian or Alaska native people under age 30 have the highest drowning death rates at 2.7 times higher than white people.

Deidra Hall believes Black children are likely to drown for several reasons.

"Lack of access, being able to get into a pool, fear and a lot of generational trauma," she said.

She and her daughter run Champions Coaching, Inc, an organization that hosted a Juneteenth water safety program. They have hopes of breaking racial barriers in swimming.

"There are way too many children that are dying unnecessarily in the summertime in the pool when all they had to learn was how to bob or float. It's something as simple as that that could have kept them alive until someone came to help," said Hall.

The nonprofit aims to raise awareness that swimming is more than a sport; It's a life skill.

"This is the only sport that can keep you alive in a situation," she said.