Swimming Pool

Alyssa Rivera

9th Grade

UPAC Counseling and Treatment

San Diego County

“My entry is about the generational trauma black kids inherit and how the struggles of their ancestors affect them today. My painting depicts a black woman on the water which is a reference to the fact that most black people don’t know how to swim because their parents didn’t know how, as their ancestors were banned from public swimming pools because slave owners were afraid, they’d swim to escape slavery. Acknowledging the trauma inflicted onto black people because of how their ancestors were oppressed as well as attempting to provide hope and comfort in the message we shouldn’t let that define us is the main focus of my painting, and I hope it’s understood.”