Swimming is your birthright | Black Joy â September 1, 2023
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Big things are poppin’ and little things are stoppin’ for a brand that’s very intentional in crafting stories and events centering Black love, liberation and community care. I told my big boss how Black Joy is creating the blueprint of what media reparations can look like. The journalism industry has a lot to unlearn and undo when it comes to the pain it caused to Black communities. I’ve dedicated my career to tearing down the white walls of capitalism brick by brick in a space that’s profited off Black trauma. I came to terms with the fact that I may not get it all done in my lifetime, but if I can make the space a bit easier to breathe for the next generation I will.
Funny, I’m writing this on the last day of Black August. Resistance is one of our purest forms of joy. This is what mine looks like ✨️. Now that I’m done preaching (lol) I hope you enjoy our newsletter which explores the ancestral homelands of our oceans, lakes, rivers and pools.
– Starr
Don’t get it twisted. Black people can swim.
stock photo
Time to open the “oldie-but-goldie” bag like an auntie at church.
But I’m doing it differently this time. Instead of busting open our own archives (which you can access below!) I opened the archives of history to debunk the myth that “Black people can’t swim” by reading “Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora.” Then, author Dr. Kevin Dawson and I dive through some facts about how Africans were the first divers, surfers and more.
Healing waters
Melanee Schneider, also known as Carrie Wata in the professional mermaid community, founded Afro Mermaid in October 2019 to add more diversity to aquatics, while remaining rooted in Black history.
Remember when I gave y’all a rundown on the Black mermaids who’ve been challenging homophobia, fatphobia and racism way before Halle Bailey made her debut as Ariel? Well, today you can splish, splash your way into the story of Carrie Wata. Founder of AfroMermaid and featured in Netflix’s MerPeople documentary, Carrie not only broke her family’s generational fear of water – she’s helping other Black swimmers reclaim their ancestral gift of swimming, too.
Just keep swimming and spreading the Black joy.