Let’s (not) meet at the pool: A Black Canadian social history of swimming (1900s–1960s)

While sport has been touted as a bridge for racial equality, racial discrimination has been as present in recreational and sporting spaces, as in any other public spaces. Discrimination in these spaces can thus inform racial relations in a society. Few Canadian studies have been conducted on the development of racial discourses in the context of recreational spaces, especially from a historical perspective. Through the lens of swimming, a historically exclusive recreational and sporting activity, this paper aims at positioning swimming experiences within racial and power relations between Black and White people in Canada. The findings inform us that racial discourses were continuously reinforced in swimming spaces, and shaped Black Canadians’ experience. The particularities of and similarities between the various cases discussed also underscore the nuanced and varied effects of pre-1970s informal racial discrimination policy in Canada.