By Swim Guru Emeka
Founder, Swim in 1 Day SID Africa
I am Swim Guru Emeka, founder of Swim in 1 Day SID Africa. Recently, while leading a Swim in 1 Day SID awareness campaign in Barcelona, Spain, I experienced something that stopped me cold.
An older Caucasian medical doctor said to me, lamenting:
“Let me shock you. This same sh*t was taught to me in medical school here in Spain, that Black people couldn’t swim because their bones were heavier, or too dense.”
Let that sink in.
This was not folklore. This was scientific racism, a deliberate construct masquerading as science. Not empirical truth, but ideology designed to undermine, exclude, and control a people.
And disturbingly, it still echoes today. I hear it almost every day here in Nigeria.
Scientific Racism: The Lie That Refused to Die
Scientific racism is not accidental. It is systemic. It was created to justify oppression and then embedded into institutions, medicine included.
In Barcelona, I became a victim of this system myself in 2023 when I went for my annual health check up. My doctor insisted I had kidney issues and attempted to prescribe medication without proper verification. Why? Because she relied on a medical formula built around assumptions based on white male physiology, and then, adjusted incorrectly, for Black patients.
Fortunately, knowledge saved me.
I vehemently disagreed, demanded a kidney scan, and the results proved what I already knew: my kidneys were fine. When I returned for follow-up, the doctor explained the rationale behind her diagnosis. I was deeply disappointed, but not surprised. Imagine if I would not have the knowledge I had?
This experience exposed something chilling: pseudoscience, once institutionalized, continues to cause real harm.
A Racist Myth Dressed as Biology. The Myth’s Poisonous Purpose.
The myth that Black people have “heavier bones” or are biologically unsuited to swimming was never about science. It was a political weapon.
For generations, this lie was used to:
• Justify enslavement and brutality
• Enforce segregation in pools and beaches
• Strip Black people of confidence, access, and survival skills
Simply because slave owners did not wish to continue losing “cargo” – enslaved people who were forcibly taken from their homes. Many enslaved Africans were skilled swimmers and attempted to escape by swimming to freedom, often risking their lives in the process.
It dehumanized Black bodies by portraying them as fundamentally different, more “suited” for labor, less suited for leisure, freedom, or survival.
By internalizing this myth, generations were pushed away from water, a life-saving skill and a space of joy, recreation, and community.
The Medical Roots of the Myth
Race was never “discovered.” It was invented, then reinforced using flawed science to justify slavery, segregation, and white supremacy.
Even today, race is often used as a biological variable in medicine, despite overwhelming scientific consensus that race is a social construct, not a genetic one.
One of the clearest examples is kidney disease diagnosis.
For decades, the eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) equation used a race-based adjustment for Black patients, assuming:
• Higher muscle mass
• Higher creatinine levels
• Stronger or “denser” bodies
These assumptions directly fed the same racist myth about heavier bones.
The Consequences Were Deadly
• Overestimated kidney function in Black patients
• Delayed diagnoses and specialist referrals
• Reduced eligibility for life-saving transplants
The Dangerous Legacy in a Formula
The old CKD-EPI equation applied a race multiplier of 1.212 for patients identified as Black, an adjustment that had nothing to do with individual biology.
This race coefficient was only officially removed in 2021.
Yet in 2023, my doctor in Spain still used it to conclude I had a failing kidney and insisted I got on the medication she prescribed.
Medicine Must Treat Individuals, Not Stereotypes
Not every Black person fits a stereotype. No equation should assume they do.
Medicine should be precise, personal, and humane, not guided by socially constructed categories rooted in colonial thinking.
The Truth Is Simple:
✔ Bone density varies by individual, not race
✔ Buoyancy depends on lung capacity and body composition
✔ Swimming ability is a human skill, not a racial trait
The myth was designed to make us afraid of water, to ensure we could not survive, could not claim our space in water, could not fully access freedom.
When physical barriers fell after abolition, psychological fences remained.
What Swim in 1 Day SID Africa Is Really Doing
At Swim in 1 Day SID Africa, we teach swimming, but more importantly, we unteach a lie.
Every time someone floats for the first time, they are not just moving water.
They are moving history.
They are reclaiming something stolen through propaganda.
Swimming, for us, is not a luxury.
It is a non-negotiable human right.
If you grew up hearing this myth, I see you.
If you believed it, I was once there too, young, ignorant and with limited knowledge.
But now we know better.
And understanding why the lie was created gives us the power to dismantle it permanently.
The Current Shift in Medicine (And What You Should Demand)
There has been a global push to remove race from diagnostic equations.
• In September 2021, a U.S. national task force recommended eliminating race from eGFR calculations
• Most major hospitals and labs now use race-neutral formulas
• The CKD-EPI 2021 equation uses creatinine (and sometimes cystatin C), adjusted only for age and sex
A Proper Kidney Assessment Should Include:
1. Race-neutral eGFR
2. Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio (uACR)
3. Blood pressure
4. Blood glucose / diabetes history
5. Imaging (ultrasound)
6. Personal and family history
7. Full physical examination
Never accept a diagnosis based on one number alone.
Conclusion: Swimming as Reclamation and Resistance
Swim in 1 Day SID Africa is not just a swim program, it is a movement of historical and psychological reclamation.
We are:
• Debunking the lie with science
• Exposing the motive behind the myth
• Empowering through skill, replacing fear with lived proof
Every Black person who learns to float becomes evidence against centuries of propaganda.
Moving Forward, Our Path Is Clear, dismantling this myth requires the multi-pronged approach that our Campaign always emphasizes:
1. Education – Know the origin of the lie
2. Representation – Visibility breaks myths
3. Access – Create welcoming, inclusive swim spaces
4. Narrative Shift – Swimming is not a special talent; it is a stolen birthright
Revealing this truth is activism.
We do not only fill lungs with air, we fill minds with truth and spirits with the confidence that comes from knowing you were lied to, and choosing to float anyway.
SID Africa is healing a historical wound,
one stroke at a time.
What you need to do!
The water holds truth, and together, we can rewrite the narrative. Your voice and your support are the currents that move this mission forward. Here’s how you can dive in:
- Amplify the Truth
Share this article. Spread this history. Break the silence by passing this knowledge to your network, every conversation changes the tide. - Share Your Story
Have you ever confronted the “heavier bones” myth or another lie disguised as science? Have you reclaimed your space in the water? Your story is powerful. Share it with us on social media @swimin1day using the hashtag #ReclaimTheWater and tag us. Let’s flood the timeline with truth and triumph. - Support the Mission
At SID Africa, we break down psychological and physical barriers every day. Your contribution directly funds life-changing swim lessons for children with disabilities on our waiting list and fuels our campaigns to expose historical injustices.
Help us bring swim education, and liberation to every child.
Click on the button below to donate and get involved today.