Recommended Reading for Softness Swims

Community Initiatives

McDaniels, Andrea K. “Sorority Works to Increase Numbers of African Americans Who Can Swim.” The Washington Post, November 18, 2017.
This article highlights Sigma Gamma Rho’s partnership with USA Swimming, addressing disparities in aquatic participation and drowning rates. It underscores how initiatives like Swim 1922 blend service, education, and joy in reclaiming water spaces.

Cultural Studies & Essays

Ali, Naji. “'Blacks Don’t Swim'.” U.S. Masters Swimming, November 1, 2010.
This article confronts the myth that Black people can't or don't swim, outlining racialized myths that deter aquatic engagement. It frames the act of swimming itself as a gentle disruption of stereotypes.

Moule, Jean. “Summer’s Coming! Ask Nana Jean about Swimming.” Skipping Stones, May–August 2008.
A youth-oriented article offering encouragement and guidance about swimming, framed through intergenerational wisdom. It emphasizes safety, confidence, and joy, showing how softness and care foster strength in the water.

Peters, Donna-Marie. “‘Take Me to the Water’—Community and Renewal among Aging Women: A Case Study of Social Interaction and Exercise among the ‘Polar Bears’ of Martha’s Vineyard.” Journal of Women & Aging, 24, no. 1 (2012): 55–70.
This academic case study examines older women who swim together daily in Martha’s Vineyard. It portrays swimming as ritual, community, and renewal—where softness in fellowship generates strength in body and spirit.

White, Samantha. “Black Girls Swim: Race, Gender, and Embodied Aquatic Histories.” Girlhood Studies 14 (2): 63–79, June 2021.
An academic deep dive into how water, swimming, and Black girlhood interconnect culturally and historically. The article reframes aquatic spaces as sites of embodiment, liberation, and the assertion of soft power.

Fiction

Christmas, Johnnie. Swim Team: A Graphic Novel. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2022.
This award‑winning story captures the journey of Bree—a young Black girl hesitant around water—who discovers courage, friendship, and leadership through the swim team. It celebrates the gentle but powerful transformation of self through softness and community in movement.

Bowen, Natasha. Skin of the Sea. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2021.
A YA fantasy novel about a Black mermaid rooted in West African mythology (Mami Wata). While fantastical, it powerfully engages with themes of water, embodiment, and cultural memory.

Memoirs 

Ajulu-Bushell, Rebecca Achieng. These Heavy Black Bones. London: HarperCollins UK, 2024.
A memoir by the first Black woman to swim for Team GB, this work uncovers the emotional and physical toll of elite competition—and the resilience she discovered in the margins. Her story reframes swimming as a site of vulnerability, strength, and healing.