In a conversation with an Indianapolis Indiana native, I noted that the high school that I attended in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania had a swimming pool in the basement. That person was surprised, saying that her high school did not have a pool. I told her that I was on the school’s swim team, an activity for which I had earned an athletic “letter.” I thought of that conversation when Paula Nicewanger, the Creative Director of this publication, and I had an opportunity to attend Indy Shorts 2026, presented by Heartland Film. Two of the films dealt with Black men trying to learn to swim.
On Wednesday, July 22nd, the Living Room Theaters hosted a series of short films under the designation of “On A Mission.” Those five films included one that resonated with me. “Can’t Float” is about “(a) 30-something Black man (who) confronts his lifelong fear of the water, and the weight of U.S. historical stereotypes about Black people and swimming, as he commits to finally learning how to swim.” At the end of the five films, there was a question and answer (Q & A) session with filmmakers. When the opportunity arose to ask questions of the writer/director of “Can’t Float,” I raised my hand. I told Dave Schilling that I saw another Indy Shorts film that dealt with a similar subject. “Yeah; we hate each other,” was his humorous reply. I asked if his film was reinforcing the stereotype that Black people cannot swim. (I had not read the promotional information that I quoted above.) Schilling said that his film was a depiction of his efforts to “get past boundaries” and overcome stereotypes. His family is multi-racial, and at the end of the film, his character, having failed to learn to float, is joined by his hugely pregnant, white wife.
Schilling told me that one of his motivations to learn to swim was to be able to safeguard his son around water. (His son is now 9-years old and is one of the children in the movie.) “Can’t Float” shows Schilling’s character joining the only available swim class; he is the lone adult among many children. Schilling also told me that learning to swim, for Black people, is also about access to facilities. When Paula and I spoke to Schilling, she laughed about the irony that she cannot swim, and I can. “And I’m white!” she giggled, pointing out the obvious. But for me, access to pools was not a problem, though I grew up in the 1960s, when segregation was the norm. The exception was my high school; Schenley was built to be inclusive. Schilling asked me where I grew up, and when I told him the Hill District in Pittsburgh, he said, “August Wilson.” (I told him that my sister’s boyfriend, Sala Udin, was Wilson’s best friend.)
“Sea Star” was another Indy Shorts film that, in general, addressed the issue of Black people not being able to swim. I found it ironic that those two films, one about “Breaking Through,” the other about being “On A Mission,” would have the same stereotype as a basis. But, as Paula accurately noted, I did not have the limitations that many other Black people have faced, regarding swimming. Not only did my high school have a pool, but my grade school did, as well. And in the Lower Hill District of Pittsburgh, there was Ammons Pool, where all the Black people went to swim.
“Can’t Float” is Dave Schilling’s record of his journey to swimming, but Dave: I can swim, as can all my children, two of whom are multiracial.
cjon3acd@att.net