To earn her master’s degree from the University of Arizona in the early 1930s, Elgie Batteau was told she had to swim four laps in a pool.
Her degree was in education.
Batteau was the first African American woman to graduate from the UA with a master’s degree, but not before she passed a swim test and learned to make her way across a pool, many of which were off limits to her because she was Black. She went on to help integrate the UA swimming pools, teach at Dunbar School, engineer naming Carver High School in Phoenix and was the first African American on the Pima Community College Governing Board.
Generations later, barriers to swimming still linger for many African Americans, says Nikieia Johnson, director of the African American Museum of Southern Arizona on the UA campus.
To bridge that gap, the museum partnered with the aquatics department of UA Campus Recreation to offer free swim lessons to kids in 2023. This summer, that partnership — From Fear to Freedom: Dive into Opportunity — provides Tucsonans with free certified swim instruction, and now extends to teens and adults.
“As we introduced the swimming program for our youth, we wanted to really ensure that we took away cost as a barrier,” Johnson said. “As we enter into the warm season, we are proud to continue to provide it in partnership with the U of A aquatics because our thing is really being able to provide folks with survival skills.”
About 63% of Black adults and 72% of Hispanic adults report never taking a swimming lesson, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cost, access and cultural norms are all possible barriers to taking swimming lessons and feeling safe in the water, Johnson said.
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In Arizona, where water can be a respite from high summer temperatures, the drowning rate is 1.42 deaths per 100,000 people or about average nationally. However, the drowning rate here for children ages 1-4 is more than twice the national average. Pima County had two drowning deaths in 2024 and just last week an ASU graduate drowned in the Salt River.
Johnson discussed with Arizona Luminaria why the program — largely funded by private donations — is needed, its growth and the importance of access. This interview was edited for clarity and length:
Q: Who is eligible for this program?
A: It’s available to everyone. Of course, I would love for African-American families to take advantage, but, we are inclusive and we don’t want any child to potentially drown. So we want to make sure that if you are interested in wanting to learn how to swim that we share that information. I personally really encourage African-American youth and families to sign up and get connected. … We not only cover swim classes, but we also offer the swimsuit, the goggles, the towels, flip-flops, sunscreen, and even swim caps so all the barriers related to being able to access swimming have been completely removed.
Q: Why expand the program?
A: We received phone calls from folks in their 60s and 70s saying, “let me know when I can sign up and take some swim classes too.” It was such a demand certainly being voiced throughout our community where people are saying “I have grandchildren and I need to entertain” and yes it’s summertime and you know they want to be out there and not just sit on the side and instead get engaged and get involved and have fun as well. So adding our adults on was just second nature and we were so grateful to donor Betsy Bruce to really help fund that expansion.
Q: Do you swim?
A: I personally don’t even know how to swim, I’ll be taking some lessons too! My mom didn’t always have a vehicle and we didn’t have a swimming pool right in our neighborhood growing up. … I’ve had two experiences in my life with nearly drowning in a pool. So I am very adamant about it. Luckily, I’m really tall. My son (Myles) took the infant class and was introduced to swimming through the program. I love the pools. I love water. I just know my limits. I’ll stay in my safe zone, you know, 4 feet, no more than 5 and I’m nearly 6 feet tall, so if I slip and fall I can just stand up and be OK. But, it’s something that I have always desired to do. Even at home, we have the little mini pool in the backyard and they have given tips and pointers on things that you can do at home to really encourage your child to become comfortable with being in the water. That was very beneficial to me, putting a little bit of water on their face so they get the understanding of what it feels like to have water on your face.
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