Ray Christian - Water Color

 

I was the last boy in the troop to get his uniform. I was the last boy in the troop to pay his $10 to go to the big camp jamboree. Our troop was the last one selected out of all the troops in the whole state to go. More than 200 troops altogether. When we got there, we were the only black troop there. Now, as soon as you get there, one of the first activities that you need to participate in is the swimming test. The swimming test determines what activities you can participate in. Whether you can play with the boats, whether you can swim alone, go with the canoes, go on any kind of water activities at all. Every one of the boys in my troop failed the swim test. [audience chuckles] 

 

I was the last kid in the last exercise, and the only black kid for the swimming test. The last test was treading water. I was treading water, and I watched the scoutmaster lifeguard point to the different boys and say, "You can get out. You can get out. You can get out." I tried to get out. He said, "No, no, no, you stay." Until another scoutmaster came up and he said to him, "How long has he been in that water?" Then he said to me, "You can get out." Well, now, I got the swimmer badge. But it didn't work out-- Well, work with me. [audience laughter] But it didn't quite work out the way I thought it would, because every time I would show up to get a boat, get a canoe, get in the swimming pool, I'd get yelled at, "Hey, stop. Let me see your swimmer tag." I would show it. They would say, "Oh." And then, I would walk away.

 

One time, I was swimming in the pool by myself in the deep end, and I heard one of the scoutmaster lifeguards yell out, "You, you, get out of that water. Get out of that water right now." I thought there was a crocodile, a snake, [audience chuckles] snapping turtle. And he was so frantic, he jumped in the water and he grabbed me by the arm. And I said, "Well, it must be something dangerous, because he's trying to pull me out. He's trying to save me." But I realized he wasn't trying to save me when he slapped me in my face, and he said, "Nigga, who told you could get in the pool?" I'm 11 years old, so I get out of the pool.

 

One of the last activities they have at the camp is the mile swim. I'm the only black Boy Scout out of thousands that's even eligible to try out for it. So, I do. I'm the last kid assigned to the last boat, because each one of us, about 10 in a group, would have to swim beside this boat. And if at any point you could give up or anything like that, you got inside the boat. 10 boats, they all move ahead, I'm the last one, we start going. You have to make three rounds around this big lake to equal up to one mile. 

 

As soon as we start on the first lap, half the boys have already given up and gotten inside the boat. On the second lap, I was being traumatized by all the boys in the boats who were yelling at me, "Come on, man, you don't need to do this. Give up. Stop. Come on, get out of the water. Get in the boat." When I get around to the last and final lap, the third lap, I'm starting to get delirious. My arms start to feel like spaghetti. I almost can't move anymore. But I can look way in front of me about two football lengths, and I can see that other people are starting to get out of the water. I have so little energy left, and the boys are still yelling at me, "Come on, man, get up. Come on. Stop. Get out."

 

But I keep swimming, and I'm so exhausted, I can't even keep my eyes open because I don't have that much strength left. I close my eyes, I keep on stroking, stroking, stroking, and it seems like I'm not moving anywhere. Then, all of a sudden, I feel like a thousand hands on me at once. I'm snatched out the water, and I see all these brown arms, and everybody's yelling and screaming, and they're tossing me up in the air. I'm yelling and I'm crying, and I'm so happy. I'm the only black Boy Scout who had ever done it. [audience cheers and applause] 

 

But in the big picture of things, what I did, it's not that important. It's not that significant. I wasn't the last Boy Scout to do it. I wasn't the fastest, I wasn't the smartest, I wasn't the prettiest. But on that day, in that place, at that time, one little black kid was first.