A swim program born from a stark statistic, that Black children ages 10-14 drown at rates 7.6 times higher than white children, has grown from a small effort to close that gap into a welcoming summer tradition for Tucsonans of every age and background.

The From Fear to Freedom: Dive into Opportunity program was started by the African American Museum of Southern Arizona in 2023 with a $5,000 Community Impact grant from OneAZ Community Foundation. It's expanded in the years since to annual summer classes, thanks to funding from local donors.

Betsy Bruce, the program's primary donor for 2026, helped fund the program's expansion to serve adults and older adults after parents began asking for classes.

According to a study by USA Swimming and the University of Memphis, an estimated 70% of African American children and 40% of white children cannot swim, a gap the program was created to help close.

The program runs sessions each June and July, offering free lessons and swim gear to 50 to 75 children ages 5 to 18 per session. Classes are held at the UA's Campus Recreation pool.

"(The program) originally started off as just being able to provide swim lessons for children because we really wanted to be able to help close the gap on swimming disparity, specifically within the African American community," said Nikieia Johnson, director of the African American Museum of Southern Arizona.

Johnson, who is still learning to swim herself, said the program has personal meaning for her too.

"I did the parent-child class with my son and I am an individual who has almost drowned twice as a teen and as an adult," she said. "I learned a lot going through the swim program (including) techniques that I can do … and getting my son introduced to the water."

She also picked up techniques she could practice at home, including breathing exercises and other skills.

Each child participant received a free swim bag, flip-flops, goggles and a swim towel, with the museum framing the free youth lessons as a response to a history in which children of color were often barred from swimming due to racial prejudice.

Beverly Elliott, the museum's executive director, is one of the program's coordinators. The museum covers the cost of tuition and supplies through donations.

Aquatics Assistant Director Daniel Hepfer said the program began with group lessons for children, but after local news coverage helped spread the word, adult swim lessons, including the July series, have started to see growing enrollment as well.

The program is something they hope to continue in future years.

"When I think about the UA Aquatic facility, it's our mission to be as welcoming as possible and understand the areas that come with a swimming pool," Hepfer said. "We're constantly focused on getting new people in the door. We want new people to visit our facility. We're just really making sure that we're as integrated with the Tucson community as possible. We'd love to see new visitors every day."

Christy Russell is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at crussell68@arizona.edu.

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