POOL brings to life new work by eleven artists including an excerpt from Ed Accura’s
Blacks Can’t Swim— The Sequel documentary. This collection of work springboards
from the historical context to expand the depth and breadth of POOL, providing multiple,
and unexpected, lenses to reconsider the act of swimming together. Blacks Can’t
Swim— The Sequel has been incredibly well-received by visitors with many pointing out
that the work is “fresh” and “a much-needed modern spin on the topic.”

A primary goal of POOL is to amplify the voices and work of people working in this
space of aquatic justice that are leading the way to a greater understanding of
humanity—a deeper connection to our shared experience of the world and vision of the
future that we must build together. Blacks Can’t Swim documentary film series provides
multiple voices for our visitors to consider and possibly, relate to. It also connects this
national story to the current international reality of swimming throughout the African
Diaspora.

“As part of the final year of my Human Sciences Degree at the University of Oxford, I conducted a dissertation exploring the intersections between swimming and social exclusion. This was inspired my own life-long love of swimming and my growing awareness of the unequal access to swimming spaces. During my research, the ‘Blacks Can’t Swim’ film documentaries provided invaluable insights into the numerous factors that underpin ethnic disparities in swimming participation, including swimming not being perceived as a priority and the intergenerational transmission of the stereotype that Black people can’t swim. The collection of personal experiences presented in these film documentaries is essential in highlighting the diversity of swimming experiences within Black and ethnic minority communities, as well as the ways in which barriers to participation can be tackled. Such awareness is essential given the importance of swimming as a life skill and the multitude of health benefits it can provide; the latter is especially significant in the context of the wider health inequalities experienced by ethnic minorities within the UK. I am thoroughly looking forward to watching the third part of this insightful and much-needed film documentary series. I strongly recommend anyone with a passion for swimming and/or social justice to engage with these materials and to continue having necessary conversations about how we can collectively strive towards a more inclusive swimming future.”