This story first appeared as part of WFAE's EQUALibrium newsletter, exploring race and equity in the Charlotte region. Get the latest news and analysis in your inbox first by signing up here.
Nadine Ford paces along the edge of a 10-foot-deep outdoor pool in SouthPark. A group of Black women and men occasionally pop their heads out of the water for a gasp of air as they freestyle the length of the pool. Ford closely observes their strokes. She’s a swim coach and the executive director ofEvolutionary Aquatics — a primarily Black swim club dedicated to teaching mostly adults how to swim.
The swim program started under the name Mahogany Mermaids in 2014. Ford said there was a demand for it in the Black community. “People want to learn how to swim,” Ford said. “They may have had trauma, they may not have had access. Or maybe they took lessons, and they just wanted to get stronger.”
Mahogany Mermaids was more of a private club. To join, someone had to know someone in the program. Ford said this was done to ensure they had like-minded people in the program. In 2020, Mahogany Mermaids formed a nonprofit under the name Evolutionary Aquatics to be more inclusive. Ford said the club provides a space where Black people can talk about issues that affect them — both in and out of the water.
“We talk about our hair a lot because it’s our crown; it’s part of what we do. We may talk about products that make your hair more curly or enhance your natural curl pattern because we have curly hair,” Ford said. “We will discuss swimsuit fits because most Black women are curvy … we discuss swimsuits that will cover our curves. We’ll talk about modern politics as it affects our culture or whatever is going to affect us.”
Evolutionary Aquatics has about 32 people currently enrolled and provides four levels of swim instruction. In Level 1, people learn the basics, including blowing bubbles and how to float on their front and back. In Level 2, people learn to float and kick on their sides. In Level 3, swimmers are taught about backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. And in Level 4, swimmers are exposed to competition-based training that includes learning how to dive off the blocks in case they intend to compete in a swim meet.
Misty Covington has been a part of the program for about six months. She said she became fearful of water because of an experience when she almost drowned.
“Due to childhood trauma, I avoided pools, oceans, and anything deeper than a shower or a tub,” Covington said.
Covington said that now she is surrounded by family members who enjoy water activities, and she is starting to travel more. She wanted to learn how to swim to be part of those moments, and she needed to find a club that embodied her characteristics.
“I felt like I needed to join a swim club that represented me, and Evolutionary Aquatics did that,” Covington said. “They met me where I was; they met me where my fear was. They let me take my time. So, they really groomed me to now enjoy coming to swim class.”
