Mahogany Mermaids Swim Club

by Ryan Kouame | Photos courtesy of the Mahogany Mermaids

The Mahogany Mermaids swim club, a community of proud Black swimmers, encourages diverse communities to immerse themselves in activities in, on and around water. The organization also works to tear down misconceptions around Black people and water by empowering them to reclaim their underwater heritage.

Diving in

It all started in 2014 when swim trainer and head coach, Nadine Ford, looked for friends to swim with and organically formed a group of friends who would visit the local pool together, watch YouTube videos and help each other train. When it was time to get her swim bag monogrammed, Ford said, “Instead of my name, put ‘Mahogany Mermaid’ on there.”

Ford and a few other members of Mahogany Mermaids went on to earn several coaching certifications in 2017 and are now certified U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) instructors. This opened the door for the Mahogany Mermaids to become the first all-Black swim club registered with U.S. Masters Swimming in 2018.

In 2020, the club partnered with Miller Swimming, applied for and received the USMS Adult Learn to Swim grant. The grant funding allowed for the formation of Evolutionary Aquatics, a nonprofit dedicated to making recreational aquatics more comfortable and available to Black adults. Now, the Mahogany Mermaids can expand services in the community and offer low-cost intermediate and advanced level masters swim practices and kayaking adventures.

“The U.S. Masters, our governing body for adult swim, strives for inclusion and diversity. For the past few years, the USMS and other organizations have acknowledged Evolutionary Aquatics as leaders in paving the way for other Black swim clubs to do the same,” said Ford.

Reclaiming the pool

Ford reminisces on her summers in Charlotte’s Druid Hills neighborhood where she’d spend hours splashing and soaking in the pool so much that her skin would wrinkle from being in the water for so long. Many of the swimmers credit Ford for their success, but the coach says it’s not about her. For some, it provides an opportunity to compete in a sport they love. For others, it’s a chance to reclaim a childhood pastime.

“It just made sense for me to join. We have a lot of camaraderie, we love each other so much, and there’s no body shaming,” said former member and competitive swimmer for Howard University, Nashira Waldron, who credits Ford with creating an environment of inclusion.

Evolutionary Aquatics and its staff also serve as historians, educators and mentors to their community. They provide services and resources to help remind people of who they are, where they came from and what their ancestors accomplished. In their classes, they focus on the benefits of a positive mindset while steering club members away from using negative and conditional language when facing challenges in the water and in the world.

From challenging the historical and societal trope that “Black people don’t swim” to providing low to no-cost adult swim lessons, the Mahogany Mermaids and Evolutionary Aquatics believe everyone should be safe and comfortable to pass down this generational life-saving skill and have fun while doing so.

“The more visible Black people are with swimming, the more we will chip away at that lie. And hopefully, if we can chip away at that lie, we can also chip away at other lies that have been cast upon us,” Ford said.

“Joining Evolutionary Aquatics has dramatically exceeded my expectations.

My intention was to learn how to swim so I could enjoy vacations and increase water safety for my family,” said USMS Adult to Learn Swim Instructor, Brandon King.

“But I garnered an additional sense of empowerment. I found a community of people who challenge you to break barriers and achieve your personal goals.” P