Thousands of Americans Drown Every Year. More Public Pools Could Change That.

The leading cause of death among 1-to-4-year-olds in the United States is drowning. This is in part because the U.S. is what experts call a swimming desert, meaning millions of Americans don't have access to public places to swim. As a result, well over half of all people lack basic swimming abilities.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

Sign now to tell Louisville City Council to invest in public pools across the city!

On top of that, because of climate change, summers are getting dangerously hot. Public pools can offer an accessible way for people to cool off in steamy temperatures. But in places like Louisville, few public pools still exist. The Kentucky city has a population well over half-a-million people, yet only five public pools to serve them. And in West Louisville, only one public pool remains in operation.

Access to safe places to learn to swim is also deeply racialized. When state and local politicians mandated segregation in the 1960s, many white communities in the South literally destroyed their pools rather than permit Black Americans to swim among White Americans. And the effects are still being felt today: Black adolescents are over three times more likely to drown than their White counterparts.

It is time for Louisville, Kentucky to invest in more public pools to reduce drownings and combat the effects of climate change! Sign the petition now if you agree!