UK Program Helps Black Women Reclaim Joy in Swimming

Stephanie McKenzie has been swimming confidently since childhood, yet she still feels a flutter of doubt every time she walks into a public pool alone. She notices she's often the only Black woman there.

This is exactly what Swim Sista Swim was created to change. Founded by Carol Burrell in the UK, the program creates safe spaces where Black women can learn to swim or simply enjoy the water without judgment.

Stephanie came to the program as an instructor, not a student. But even as someone who swims regularly and works on her feet all day for the NHS, she's gained something unexpected: a sense of belonging she never knew she was missing.

The program welcomes women wherever they are in their water journey. During a typical session, some women sit poolside with just their feet dangling in the water. Others walk down the steps to practice putting their chin on the surface, while a few are ready to start swimming strokes.

"Don't talk about the word swim, just talk about getting in the water," Stephanie explains. She remembers seeing anxiety on women's faces during their first sessions, worries about hair care mixing with deeper fears about whether they belonged there at all.

Carol designed Swim Sista Swim differently from traditional swimming lessons. Instead of everyone doing the same thing at the same time, each woman moves at her own pace. There's no pressure, no judgment, just patient support from Black instructors who understand the unique barriers their students face.

The shift usually happens around week five of the ten-week course. Faces that once showed fear start lighting up with joy. Women who began the program sitting on the pool's edge are now gliding through the water.

Why This Inspires

Swim Sista Swim isn't just teaching a skill. It's reclaiming space and creating new narratives about who belongs in the water. For generations, many Black women have felt excluded from swimming, whether due to historical barriers, hair care concerns, or simply not seeing themselves represented in aquatic spaces.

The program has been so successful that Carol launched Mandem Swim, bringing the same safe, supportive approach to Black men across the UK. These initiatives are opening waterways to communities that have long been left out.

Stephanie calls herself a mermaid now. After decades of swimming, she finally has a community of women who look like her, who understand that twinge of doubt, and who are transforming it into confidence together.