The author's mother, who never learned to swim, made a decision to enroll her children in swim lessons after giving birth to her first child two months after birth, in the late '70s. She ensured that her children, who also had limited access to public pools, would not be excluded from them. This decision was made during segregation when Black families were barred from entry due to segregation and when desegregation came, many towns chose to close pools rather than integrate them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that Black Americans drown at rates around 1.5 times higher than white Americans, particularly in swimming pools, where the disparity is particularly stark. The author reflects on her own experiences in a swimming pool in Charleston, where there is more water than land.