I think the point the media is trying to make is that a high percentage of black people don’t know how to swim.
Which, my friends, is very, very different from flat out NOT BEING ABLE TO DO IT.
MSNBC reports nearly 60% of black children fall into this category.
30% of white children are unable to swim.

But honestly, it feels like they are screaming, BLACK PEOPLE CAN’T SWIM! BLACK PEOPLE HATE THE WATER! BLACK PEOPLE CAN’T SWIM!

And as you can see.
My family is black. And we love the water. And we can swim.  That’s 6 black people total. 
106 if you count my parents, sister, first cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.

I’ve been hearing this message of “Black people unite and teach your children to swim!” so much, that it really has me second guessing myself. I ran to go sign myself up for swimming lessons, and then I remembered I already know how to swim.

It’s total madness really.

Now, every time I’m at the pool or beach and I see a black person, I’m wondering if they know how to swim. And they usually do. Which is why they probably came to the pool/beach in the first place.

All of this talk, has really got me thinking.
What percentage of ALL children don’t know how to swim?

According to National research study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis the statistics are as follows.

70% of black children don’t know how to swim.
60% of Hispanic children don’t know how to swim.
40% of Caucasian children don’t know how to swim.

The study breaks down the numbers even further stating that out of those they polled regarding children between the ages of 4 and 18 that parents reported their children having strong swimming skills (meaning they can swim the length of the pool) in these percentage points

Caucasian – 58% strong swimmers
Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders – 55% strong swimmers
Hispanic and Latino children – 42% strong swimmers
Asian American and Native American children – 34 and 32 % respectively
African American – 31% reporting strong swimmers.

Whether you are black, white, yellow, or brown. . .
THAT IS A LOT OF CHILDREN THAT DON’T KNOW HOW TO SWIM.

Why, is the question we should all be asking.
And not just to black people.

I’m sure there are a lot of theories as to why so many children don’t know how to swim.
Economics.
Fear.
Hair Issues (Don’t laugh.  That’s my theory).

But what can’t be denied is that a child’s ability to swim is also strongly correlated with his parents’ income. Diversity in Aquatics reports that “sixty-seven percent of poor swimmers have a household income less than $49,999. Only 29 percent of skilled swimmers fall below that income level . . . . .and that 12 percent of children who participate in a reduced-cost school lunch program—an easier piece of data for a child to report than household income—said they don’t even feel comfortable in the shallow end of a pool, compared with just 6 percent of wealthier children.”

The good news?
Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children age one to four years (Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 2009).

Now.
We just have to figure out how to make this possible for all children.

– – – – – – – – – –

Now, if your going to teach yourself, your children, your neighbor or your dog how to swim, you need a sandwich.

Because that is what swimmers do.
They eat.
A LOT.

This my lovelies, is the Sandwich I always make for the beach and day long trips to the pool.  I also make it for weekend long Softball tournaments or anytime my family asks. . . . . . because it is that good.

You won’t find a better one.
No sir -eeeee.

Tell Subway, So long.
All will be Quiet at Quiznos.

A REAL BIG SANDWICH.
A simple sandwich, none the less.
Constructed Perfectly.
Dry ingredients on the outside.
Wet on the inside.
No sogginess anywhere.
Big enough to share.
Small enough to eat all by yourself and save some for later.

It is the perfect, perfect sandwich.
Make it.
You won’t regret it.

Simple Summer Submarine Sandwich
The key to this sandwich is the construction. The cheese mustn’t touch the mayo or anything wet or it will go soft. The pickles nor the tomatoes can touch the bread or else all will be lost.  And please, please be sure that the meat completely covers the mayo or else the lettuce will wilt. And you know what happens when the lettuce wilts.

It’s not pretty.

Ingredients:

Loaf of French Bread
A Head of Green Leaf Lettuce or Spinach Leaves
Tomato Slices (about 3 tomatoes)
Pickle slices
9 oz. Honey Ham (deli sliced)
10 slices of Provolone Cheese
Dijon Mustard
Mayonnaise (I like the type with Olive Oil)

1. Slice your french bread in half lengthwise. (They’ll do it for you at HEB if you ask nicely;)

2.Spread mustard on the top inside half of the loaf. Spread mayo on the bottom inside half of the loaf.

3. Begin constructing your sandwich. Lay ham slices on the bottom half of the french loaf. Be sure to cover the mayonnaise completely. Next, add tomato slices followed by pickle slices. Top with lettuce leaves, before finally adding the cheese. (Green leaf works best because the leaves are so broad that they keep any moisture from the tomatoes and pickles AWAY from the cheese.) Lay the top of the french loaf on top.

4. Wrap with Plastic wrap.

5. After wrapping with plastic wrap, slice the sandwich crosswise into 8-10 small sandwiches.  Don’t cut all the way through, leave the bread partially attached at the bottom so that the entire sub sandwich can be slid back into it’s original bag or a Jumbo size Ziploc. Serve at your leisure.