I just wanted to say something about this. There may be some credence to the idea that "black people are less likely to swim".
White Americans have a fear about being in pool water with blacks. They seem to feel that we infect it or something. Or maybe they just hate seeing us have fun. Regardless, historically, particularly during the Jim Crow era, AA's have been denied entry/access into public pools. Even after Jim Crow ended, they just started "private pools" and denied us access that way.
Take financial disparities into account, black parents are less likely to be paying for swimming classes for their kids, or to own a private backyard pool.
The urban/suburban/rural divide also means that African Americans are less likely to live near large bodies of water.
And of course, if your parents don't know how to swim, you are less likely to, as are your children, and so on and so fourth.
So, of course blacks can swim. They probably swim less than whites in this country, but that has nothing to do with some innate quality.
Of course, anyone citing this stereotype in critique of this movie would be doing so for reasons outside of their views on athletic potential!
