While most ARRAY learning companions and activities are written for students over the age of 13, ORIGIN offers an opportunity to provide a special lesson for younger learners.

In ORIGIN, audiences are introduced on screen to nine year old Al Bright.

Dear Al Bright, this lesson is in memory of you.

Grade Level: Ages 9 and up

Essential Question: What does inclusion mean to you? What does it mean to be included?

Duration: 30 – 40 minutes

Extended Lesson

Objectives

Students will explore the concept of inclusion and its opposite, exclusion, through historical examples, particularly focusing on segregation in American swimming pools. They will engage in activities that promote empathy, critical thinking, and creative expression.

Materials Needed:

Images for visual activity (Image A & B)
Graphic organizers (Venn Diagrams, story maps, timeline charts)
Art supplies for poster making
Access to video resources (for older students)
Writing materials for poetry or reflective writing

AL BRIGHT

The year is 1951, in Youngstown, Ohio. A Little League baseball team has just won the city championship. The young men are cheering, their parents are proud and the coaches announce that the team will spend the rest of the day at a local pool to celebrate. One by one, the kids enter the pool area and jump into the water, except for one. His name is Al Bright and because segregation is the law in 1951, and he is African American, he is not allowed to use the pool.

Al’s story is just one of many instances of segregation and discrimination against Black people in public spaces like swimming pools.

The year is 1951, in Youngstown, Ohio. A Little League baseball team has just won the city championship. The young men are cheering, their parents are proud and the coaches announce that the team will spend the rest of the day at a local pool to celebrate. One by one, the kids enter the pool area and jump into the water, except for one. His name is Al Bright and because segregation is the law in 1951 and is African American, he is not allowed to use the pool.

Al’s story is just one of many instances of segregation and discrimination against Black people in public spaces like swimming pools.

Story of Al Bright and Visual Activity

Narrative: Share the story of Al Bright, focusing on his experience of exclusion.
Visual Activity: Show two images (Image A & B) and ask students to spot differences and discuss their observations.
Discussion Questions:

What differences do you notice between the two images?
How do you think the kids outside the pool feel?
Why is there a separation in the first image?

FIND THE DIFFERENCES

Hello there! Get ready for a fun adventure with your super-duper observation goggles! I’ve got two images for you, but guess what? There are some sneaky differences hiding in there. First up, take one minute to thoroughly check out the details in the first picture. Ready, set, let the spotting begin!:

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

What differences do you notice between the people in the pool in the first picture and the second picture?
How do you think the kids outside the pool in the first picture might feel when they see others having fun inside?
Have you heard about times in history when people were not allowed to do certain things just because of their skin color?

Segregation in American Pools

(10 minutes)

Information Sharing: Present the history of segregation in American pools, using age-appropriate language and examples.
Graphic Organizers: Use Venn Diagrams or story maps to help students organize and analyze the information.
Discussion: Encourage students to share their thoughts on how these historical events relate to the concept of inclusion.

Many individuals of African descent were proficient swimmers until the late 1800s. For over three centuries, Western visitors to West Africa documented that Africans were proficient swimmers, often highlighting their superior skills compared to Europeans and specifically mentioning their use of the freestyle stroke. In the late sixteenth century, the Flemish adventurer Pieter de Marees made a notable observation about the freestyle technique of Gold Coast (Ghanaian) Africans, stating, “They can swim very fast, generally easily outdoing people of our nation in swimming and diving.” When Africans were brought to America as slaves, many of them, like their ancestors, also learned to swim. However, the development of white beach and white pool cultures drove people of color away from these spaces, erasing their abilities and denying them access.

From the 1920s onward, swimming pools and beaches became places of division, reflecting racial and economic disparities, shifting from previous forms of segregation based on sex or class. This shift was driven by deep prejudiced concerns surrounding the notion of people from different races and sexes sharing what was thought of as intimate spaces. In southern states, segregation was enforced through city ordinances and official exclusionary rules, while in northern states, segregation occurred due to the construction of public pools in white neighborhoods or through intimidation, harassment and violence. Public pools that were once communal spaces became sites of exclusion and discrimination.

1931

1949

1963

2015

2018

1931 — Pittsburgh, Kansas

A notable incident occurred in 1931 at a pool in Pittsburgh, where Black residents were humiliatingly required to provide "health certificates'' to prove their disease-free status. When a group of Black men arrived the next day, they were attacked by a larger crowd of white poolgoers. The fight for equal access continued throughout the years.

1949 — St. Louis, Missouri

In 1949, Black swimmers in St. Louis were violently attacked by white teenagers when they attempted to integrate a public pool. This pattern of resistance was not unique to public pools but extended to protests for equal access to beaches in places like Biloxi, Mississippi, resulting in racial riots and more violence.

1941 — St. Augustine, Florida

Significant events in the 1960s further highlighted the issue of racial tensions at public pools and beaches. The St. Augustine campaign in Florida, led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, involved sit-ins, marches, protests in beaches and a "dive-in" at a motel pool.

Demonstrators Protest a Whites Only Beach

Image Credit: Bettman, Getty Black History and Culture

“Black demonstrators attempting to swim at a St. Augustine Beach were met by stick swinging White people. Police moved in and broke up the two groups. Members of both sides were injured and some arrested.” - Getty

Despite these important historical efforts, racial disparities persist in swimming pools. Many white Americans retreated to private or “community-managed” pools in suburban areas, further perpetuating segregation and prejudice. Public pool attendance declined, while white private pool construction increased. In the midst of this history, TV personality, Mr. Rogers, made his own contribution to challenging racial prejudice. In a 1969 episode of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," Rogers invited Officer Clemmons, a recurring character played by the Black actor François Clemmons, to join him in soaking their feet in a small pool. By showcasing this peaceful interracial interaction, Rogers intended to combat the discrimination faced by Black Americans.

“When François Clemmons signed up to play a police officer on the PBS program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" in 1969, he had no idea the impact it would have around the country. "I put my foot in the water and history was made," Clemmons said. Clemmons is referencing a now-iconic scene in which his character sits down with Fred Rogers and dips his feet into a children's pool full of water. Clemmons called the scene a statement regarding the lingering attitudes of many Americans following the end of legalized segregation in America. The moment was shown on television five years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended legal segregation and sparked a conversation of acceptance and friendship between people of different races.” -NBC

Although legalized segregation was abolished through the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the deeply rooted impact of segregation can still be felt even in the 21st century. While some progress has been made with racially diverse crowds swimming together in certain public and YMCA pools, many private club pools and community pools still perpetuate segregation. Economic inequality, residential segregation and the legacy of past discrimination contribute to this continued separation.

2015 — McKinney, Texas

More recent incidents have brought renewed attention to ongoing discrimination faced by Black people at pools. A video capturing a white police officer's violent treatment of a Black teenage girl at a pool party in McKinney, Texas, sparked widespread protests and national discourse. The officer resigned and the city paid the teenager and her family almost $185,000.

2018 — Summerville, South Carolina

On June 24, a Caucasian woman named Stephanie Sebby-Strempel, later dubbed "Pool Patrol Paula" online, physically attacked a 15-year-old African-American boy at a private community pool in Summerville, South Carolina. She asserted that he and his friends were not supposed to be there, accompanying her actions with the statement, "Get out, little punks!"

2018 — Winston-Salem, North Carolina

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a Caucasian man named Adam Bloom targeted the sole black family in a busy community pool, insisting on examining the mother's "identification." Despite her use of a resident key card to access the facility, a requirement not imposed on others at the pool, she declined. Subsequently, Bloom contacted the police.

2018 — Memphis, Tennessee

Despite the presence of several individuals violating the pool area's dress code, Erica Walker, the manager of a sizable apartment complex, selectively approached only a solitary group of African-Americans. She reprimanded 25-year-old Kevin Yates for placing his feet, clad in socks, in the water and eventually insisted that he and his group vacate the pool. Upon their refusal, she also contacted the police.

It is important to understand that while these events illustrate a manifestation of white privilege and racism that has thrived in recent years, these incidents are merely a phenomenon of a larger and deeply rooted caste system that is sprawling all over the world.

“The fourth pillar of caste rests upon the fundamental belief in the purity of the dominant caste and the fear of pollution from the castes deemed beneath it, Over the centuries, the dominant caste has taken extreme measures to protect its sanctity from the perceived taint of the lower castes.” -Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of our Discontent

Segregation in German Pools

“Between 1933 and 1939, Germany saw the passage of hundreds of decrees that targeted Jews. Those measures became increasingly restrictive throughout the 1930s and included a national law against “overcrowding” in German universities that introduced quotas that limited Jewish students in 1933. In 1935, a law passed by the state of Thuringia mandated that Jews could not have a role in legal proceedings. Between 1935 and 1936, many German cities and towns also banned Jewish people from using public swimming pools.

In the featured photograph, a young girl stands outside the entrance to a swimming pool in Fürth, a Bavarian city known for its well-established Jewish community. At the upper left of the image, a sign in German reads, “Entrance is forbidden to Jews.” Although that restriction could have been a local ordinance, the pool’s owner may have independently decided to ban Jews. As was the case throughout Germany during the Nazi era, private organizations, associations, and enterprises excluded Jews independently of the law.” – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Segregation in India: Water Resources

“Dalit narratives, autobiographies, and testimonies often carry painful memories of their experience of the lack of access to water and water sources. One should not assume that these are matters of the past. Even today, the water narratives of Dalits are informed by caste. Caste has been a prominent, almost inherent factor in water usage in India. The severity of the restrictions on water informed Dalit notions of themselves as human beings and their relationship with water and other natural resources.” –TheWire