Crossing The Lane Lines

Swimming with Sharks: How one non profit is changing the way marginalized communities see these creatures of the deep.

When many think about people in marine sciences, and in particular shark sciences, Black folk in general and Black women in particular are not the first that spring to mi

Swimming in the Heart of Motown: How Detroit All Star Aquatics are revising a Black Swim Tradition

Detroit was once know as the Motor City and the birthplace of MoTown, but it was also home to one of the most thriving Black swim communities in the country, where great

Not Treading Lightly: How Twin Sisters are Making a Difference in the Swimming Community

As the swim community slowly begins to grapple with its legacy of racism too often those who are asked to speak about its impact on Black and Brown communities are usuall

The Nile Swim Club: The Oldest and Only Black-owned Pool

The Nile Swim Club, located in Yeadon, PA is the oldest Black-owned pool in the country. Today on a special episode of Crossing The Lane Lines, we'll hear an interview of

Trans-Continental Divide: How The Outcry over Trans Athletes is Something Much More Sinister

Lia Thomas, a trans female swimmer on the University of Pennsylvania's Women's Swim team, has caused quite an uproar not only in the swimming world, but amongst the gener

Endurance: A Conversation with Marathon Swimmer Carl Richards

Pauline Jackson, Water Johnson, Willis Hanks, Charles Chapman, these are but a few of the accomplished marathon swimmers in the Black community, Though they are not as we

Diversity in Aquatics: The Birthplace of DEI in the Swimming Community

Since last summer's uprisings concerning the lynching of George Floyd, Ahamad Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, a number of swim clubs, and swim organizations have tried to fos

The Forgotten: The Unacknowledged Black Female Swim Coach

With the possible exception of Jim Ellis, and Anthony Nesty, most people in the swimming world wouldn’t be able to name one Black coach. If most Black male coaches are ha

Diving in Rising Up: The Origin story of Black Girls Dive Foundation

In 2013, a group of women who were attending the BLACK SCUBA DIVERS ASSOCIATION Annual Summit,  got together to discuss the lack of representation of African American wom

Can We Mandate Swimming in Public Schools?

In the US the government has wide control over public schools. They require equal educational opportunities for pupils of different races and ethnicities, the length of t

Allies or Girl Bosses?: How White Female Swimmers Need to Speak Out

Since last summer's uprising after the lynching of George Floyd, many White people said that they would stand with Black and Brown folk to demand systemic change that imb

Tankproof : Helping Black Children Navigate Life's Currents

When one thinks of reasons why Black children don’t swim, people say that they can’t afford lessons, and this is true somewhat, but a more practical reason involves anoth

DC Waves: African American Aquatic History in the District of Columbia

DC is home to The White House, The Washington Monument, and The MLK Memorial, everyone knows this, but what many don't know about is that its also home to some of the mos

Rising Tide: How Black People Desegregated Beaches and Pools in South Florida

NOTE: Apologies for the brief audio distortion. From seaweed to lost beach balls, sun-seekers bump into all sorts of surprises swimming along Florida’s iconic beaches. Fo

POOL: A Celebration of Blacks in Aquatics, a Mourning of our Struggles, and Our Hope for the future.

Access to water for fun isn’t a privilege, and learning how to swim is a basic life skill. Both were denied to Black Americans through centuries of slavery and discrimina

"I'm not here to make friends." in Conversation with Drs. Johanna Mellis and Derek Silva

On a special episode of Crossing The Lane Lines, I'll be interviewed by the co-hosts of the podcast The End of Sport about my swim journey, the impetus for creating Cross

“Next Question “: Media, race bias, and the attack on Black bodies.

On July 17th, at a press conference after she failed to make the 100m finals at the Olympic Trials, Simone Manuel, was grilled by journalists concerning her medical diagn

The Word that is never spoken in swimming: Talkin’ ‘bout "Whiteness" Part Two of Two

The crawl stroke or freestyle, is one of the most technically challenging strokes to master. Both the United States, and Australia claim to have improved it over the last

The word that is never spoken of in swimming: Talkin' 'bout “Whiteness.” Part One of Two

Simone Manuel, is regarded as one of the best freestylers in the World. However, far too often she is referred to as the best Black swimmer in the World. Her Blackness is

A Meet of Their Own: Highlighting The National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet.

Many Black swimmers have had to deal with being the only one at their meets that look like them. They've experienced isolation, ridicule, and racism. A foreigner in a for