What is an example of stereotyping used in the nonfiction book, How to Be Black?

A persistent stereotype of something black people cannot do is swim, but Thurston and most of the panel members note they are capable swimmers. Thurston recalls learning how to swim at a YMCA in Washington D.C. when he was about six years old. He remembers being terrified when they were lined up at the deep end of the pool after several weeks of training and told to swim. He protested that he did not know how, but the instructors pushed him in. Despite flailing at first, he begins to swim. While all his instructors were proud of him swimming across the pool, he thought “you tried to kill me, but unfortunately for you, I just discovered a superpower” (111). Swimming pools are now invitations for Thurston, and he finds it “a natural, fun, and important part of my life, and I’m still black” (111).