JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We’re digging deeper into the history of swimming in the Black community, and how exclusion in the past has had a ripple effect that still affects people today.
It comes as the Consumer Product Safety Commission calls for more drowning prevention efforts this summer.
The agency’s newest report found Black children made up 21 percent of the drownings where a child’s race was listed.
45 percent of those deaths among Black children were kids between five and 14 years old.
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For perspective, Black Americans only make up 13 percent of the U-S population.
A woman in Jacksonville is working to change these numbers, through her foundation, which teaches Black families how to swim, through her late son.
Joyce Delifus spends every Saturday on the pool deck at the Johnson Family YMCA.
Her passion is making sure Jacksonville’s Black community knows their way around the water.
“From eight in the morning to five in the evening. All day long. That’s my goal,” she said.
She heads the Shawn D. Delifus Foundation, inspired by her late son – a beloved swim coach who trained Olympic athletes.
“Shawn was a big jokester. The kids loved him,” Joyce said.
Known as the Stroke Doctor for his excellent form, Shawn trained Olympic athletes and was beloved in the community.
He died at 30 years old from natural causes in 2016.
Since the foundation’s start shortly after his death, more than 1,300 children and adults learned how to swim for free.
“It means that 1,300 families don’t have to walk behind a funeral procession. That’s what it means to me personally,” she said. “I walked behind my son, and the lasting effects – it lasts for years and years.”
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With drowning rates historically higher among Black children than any other race, Joyce also made sure this year, students saw more representation in the pool.
“It’s very important for a four-year-old Black young man to walk on deck and see a lifeguard that looks like him. It makes him want to swim harder. It makes him want to get in the water and do what he got to do,” she said.
Now in year six, Joyce is doubling the number of people learning to swim this summer from 150 to 300, focusing on getting more Black Americans in the water.
“Now you have a Joyce Delifus on the scene. I’m telling everybody. In the store, down the street can your child swim? Can your baby swim? As a result, word of mouth gets around,” Joyce said.
She also took her message to the Principal of Becoming Collegiate Academy, Cameron Fraizer.
Frazier and most of his school — 53 children and some of their parents — are getting in the water this summer.
“A lot of the students at my school do not know how to swim. It was important for me as the leader of our community to one, encourage them to learn, and two, to jump in the water with them to become more confident in the water as a swimmer,” Frazier said.
Frazier’s students said they’re excited to learn something new.
“It feels good to learn how to swim because you can save people’s lives,” said student Brayden Gaffney.
“I’m going to jump off, I wanna cannonball, and then I want to cover my nose and put these on so I can see,” said student Gavyn Long
By the end of his first lesson, Frazier eventually made it to the deep end of the pool with help from a paddleboard and his swim instructor.
Councilman Reggie Gaffney, Jr. is also taking lessons for the first time after reaching out to Joyce earlier this year.
Gaffney said at 38 years old, he finally wants to learn life-saving skills.
“I never want to be at the mercy of someone else. I want to put myself in the position where I can save someone else,” Gaffney said.
He remembers water-related activities not really being much of an option growing up.
“Being on the northside, it’s not many swimming pools,” Gaffney said. “The affordability of it, the access, the representation. It was never a priority. I was never inspired by someone to learn how to swim.”
Joyce said both men are becoming an inspiration to children and adults by taking this step.
“Those two men will touch thousands. The word will get out that it’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid.
She said although she lost her only child, she’s gained so many through what’s become her life’s work.
“All these children belong to me. I know they come here with their parents, their biological parents. But I feel like I gave birth to each one of these children on the deck. That keeps me going, and it makes me know that my son is so proud of what I am doing,” Joyce said.
The Shawn D. Delifus Foundation has a graduation ceremony for all participants at the end of the summer, with city leaders presenting medals to all participants.
The city just approved funding to help the foundation pay for lessons for next year.
Joyce’s goal is to eventually teach 500 people a year how to swim.
For more information on the foundation and how to donate, click here.