Nearly 100 years ago, Philadelphia’s Inez Patterson integrated pools and encouraged other Black girls to swim too

When Patterson was at Temple University, she insisted on swimming when her white teammates swam and not being limited to the hour when the pool was available to Black swimmers.

By: Samantha Adams, University of Michigan, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 29, 2026

Words: 1,295

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago

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By Samantha Adams, University of Michigan

I first encountered her when my sister and I visited an exhibit at the Fairmount Water Works in 2022 that was called: “POOL: A Social History of Segregation.”

In the black-and-white photograph, a young Black woman named Inez Robie Patterson appeared to be captured right before she dived off the side of a pool wall. Her triceps were flexed, arms straight back with palms facing the ceiling. Her …

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