isabella jibilian of rhode island pbs explores the fight for swim safety. >> one night, phone call, womanthe phone telling me her child had drowned a 5:00 at lincoln woods. isabella: it was the early nineties, and ray rickman was a rhode island state representative. it was that phone call from a grieving mother that sent rickman on a new path, advocating for water safety. >> she watched her son drowned. she could not swim. can you imagine? you can't imagine. >> in the united states, an average of 11 people are drowning every day. isabella: mara gay was an avid swimmer growing up. today she is on the new york times editorial board. she has written about swim access and safety. >> so we're losing 4,000 people a year to drowning. it's the leading cause of death for children from one to four. drowning is something that affects americans of all backgrounds, however, it does disproportionately affect minorities. isabella: according to the centers for disease control and prevention, black children are 1.5 times more likely and native american children are 2 times more likely than white children