Why the Swimming Pools in our Black Neighborhoods Left (and the joy They Once Brought)

"Float, float on tonight?
Float on, float on
Float, float, float on
Float on, float on"

When I'm floating on my back in the coolness of Pewaukee Lake in Wisconsin, I feel one, I feel empowered, and I feel like I belong--to those waves, to that water on my face, to that beach. Each time, I pay homage to my Mom and Pop who taught me how to swim and that I belong everywhere.

For the Black men I interviewed for this piece, I found that sense of "belonging everywhere," especially in swimming pools across Milwaukee County and the U.S., is still at the heart of their decisions.

When I asked my coworker Byron, a husband and a father of three children, "Byron, did you ever take your kids out to Pewaukee Beach?" He replied without hesitation and a grin, "That's out of my jurisdiction." As a Mexican-American, I knew exactly what Byron was talking about, and yet, I still said with a hopeful tone in my voice, "You know, I've been seeing more and more Black families setting up their chairs, towels, food, music, and the children playing and running in and out of the water." Byron sipped the spring water from his paper cup and grinned again. So then, I asked, "Where do you take your kids swimming?" I have to go out to Cool Waters," he replied.

Cool Waters?!  I thought to myself, that's way out there on the far Southwest side of West Allis, bordering New Berlin. Imagine for a moment the sheer number of Black children and families in Milwaukee County you know who do not have cars or live outside of walking or biking distance to places like Cool Waters. Where do Black families, little ones, youth, and teens go to swim and cool off, especially during these 95+ degree Milwaukee, Wisconsin heatwaves?

I dove in headfirst, exploring this question.

What I discovered during my drives around Black neighborhoods is that Milwaukee County has actually stripped away all the outdoor swimming pools instead of expanding existing ones or adding indoor and outdoor pools to keep up with the growth of Black families.

Here is a timeline:

The segregation and eventual closure of Milwaukee's Black neighborhood swimming pools resulted from decades of discriminatory housing covenants, de facto segregation, and systemic budget shortfalls driven by the Milwaukee County Parks Department and the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.

The historical loss and neglect of north-side aquatic infrastructure stems from several key actions:

• Mid-Century Segregation: Historically, Black residents were restricted from accessing city pools through either outright bans or localized white intimidation and violence.
• The Moody Pool Closure: In 2002, the Milwaukee County Parks system officially shuttered the Moody Pool on Burleigh Street in the city's Amani neighborhood. The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors later voted to demolish the structure.
• Budget Cuts and Deferred Maintenance: County leaders, including former County Executive Chris Abele, repeatedly cited mounting deferred maintenance backlogs, high operational costs, and low revenue generation as primary reasons for permanently closing inner-city pools.
• Recent Closures: The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors continued to weigh closures and funding shifts, such as approving the conversion of the Washington Park pool—which closed in 2019—into a splash pad due to the financial toll of maintaining aging facilities.

In fact, today the only indoor pool located on the far northwest side of Milwaukee, in the Granville area, is Noyes Pool located at 8235 W. Good Hope Road. Noyes Pool is not on a bus line.

As for outdoor pools, there are FOUR on the near South, Southwest, and Southeast sides of Milwaukee, but there is only ONE outdoor swimming pool: David F. Schulz Aquatic Center located at 1301 W. Hampton Avenue inside Lincoln Park, a family favorite, and is accessible by bus.

Now, compared to the lack of swimming pools in Black neighborhoods, the number of wading pools and splash pads for children and youth is higher: there are actually 15 compared to our neighbors south of the bridge who have 17.

This wasn't always true of Milwaukee's Black neighborhoods, though. I had the pleasure of talking with a few Black men who grew up in Milwaukee, and they reminisced about going swimming around the city as kids with joy in their voices.

“I remember me and my cousins: Andy Dell, Derrick, Kevin, knee-knee, Kirk, and Lance going to the natatorium and then we’d also go swimming at Gordon Park right after we’d played basketball,” said Clark Kent, the famous voice behind, “Who you wit’!” heard every weekday morning and a co-host on WNOV’s “The Blues Café.” The whole time Clark Kent was talking about those pools, he had a gleam in his eyes and a big smile on his face.

Joe, the beloved grandfather of Roemel Brown, Editor of The Milwaukee Courier, was an avid swimmer and water lover who taught Roemel and his brother how to swim. “My grandfather took us all over the north side pools at Garfield Park, Gordon Park, Carver Park and the public natatoriums. I love swimming, and there were so many pools back then!” Roemel said passionately.

Martinez Milton, who grew up on 5th and Clarke, put it this way, “Those were the days! I mean we’d get up and go work in our garden space at All People’s Church, then stop at the CYD and see Ms. Jeanetta Robinson for a lunch meal, then we would ride our bikes up to Garfield Park (now Clinton Rose) and go swimming. It was fun back then, and look at it now—the Black kids who live in my old neighborhood don’t have anything. There’s no swimming pool, no programs or activities to stay and play in the summer. All the pools are torn down at a time we need them the most! We got more families, more youth, and nowhere to cool off. Now, that swimming pool spot at Clinton Rose is just a dry ass piece of land with nothing on it for kids and teens to do,” Martinez said passionately while we stood on the mound at the old Garfield Park pool.

As I float on my back at a night swim out here, I am reminded by these brothers that for so very many years swimming pools in Milwaukee County’s Black neighborhoods were a reflection of the Pride, Heritage, and Resilience of the people. And that’s a beautiful thing.

“Float, float on 

(you better float with me now)
Float on, float on (float on)
Float, float, float on (yeah, yeah)
You better float on
Float on”

*Float On, written by The Floaters, 1977
*Pewaukee Beach is located at 222 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
*Timeline Sources: Urban Milwaukee, CBS 58, PBS, Spectrum News, WUWM
Project Muse-John Hopkins University,
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