Long Beach-based nonprofit Love Beyond Limits will be introducing 10 babies to the wonders of water with swimming lessons in the public pool at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, starting during Black History Month.
“Statistics of Black [people] drowning are really high so I definitely want to be a part of addressing that,” said Maleka Chris, founder and executive director of Love Beyond Limits. “And I want kids and parents to have that love and joy of going into the water.”
Love Beyond Limits’ new “My Baby Can Swim” program is geared towards Black families with babies between 9 months and 3 years old. Caregivers have to accompany their child in the water during the classes. Families and their babies will learn about water awareness and water safety as their little ones get comfortable being in a pool.
According to a 2021 report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an analysis of nation-wide drowning deaths in people 29 or younger between 1999 and 2019 found that Black individuals died from drowning at 1.5 times the rate of white individuals in the same age group.
“I love the water,” Chris said. “I love everything from shower water to ocean water, pools, jacuzzis and everything in the middle. I didn’t realize that so many African American kids didn’t know how to swim.”
According to a 2021 study conducted by the USA Swimming Foundation at YMCAs across the nation, 64% of Black children cannot swim, compared to 40% of white children.
The classes will be held for eight Saturdays from Feb. 4 to March 25 at the pool in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. The classes are free, however space is limited to 10 babies and their caregivers. Spaces are given on a first-come, first-served basis. As of Jan. 17, there were three spots left for the class.
Chris founded Love Beyond Limits in 2009 to provide educational enrichment and leadership development to young people. According to Chris, the “My Baby Can Swim” program is hopefully just the beginning, and the nonprofit is looking for ways it can start to encourage young Black people to become lifeguards.
To register for “My Baby Can Swim,” call Maleka Chris at (562) 377-4857. To learn more about Love Beyond Limits, visit their website or Instagram page, @lovebeyondlimits13.
