What we do

Black Girl Swim Club is a guide for black women on swimming, travel, culture and leisure.

Manifesto

Let go of your fears & go with the flow

Many of us black girls don’t swim. Maybe we’re worried about our hair, or our families instilled fear around water, or we just haven’t felt safe as women around the water, perhaps for cultural reasons. This club is about letting go of our fears and restrictions and learning together. Swimming is a life skill and for various cultural reasons, most of us just aren't getting in the water! A study from Drowning Prevention Week shows that 80% of black children and 95% of black adults do not swim. This is very alarming! But the vision for Black Girl Swim Club is for black women all over the world to embrace the physical, mental & spiritual benefits of going with the flow of water—also, to take up more space in nature!

Together we’re learning how to swim and connecting with nature, travelling to lakes, hot springs and the sea, unearthing the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of going with the flow of water.

It’s never too late to learn something new!

- Marsha

Hey! I’m Marsha and I started Black Girl Swim Club (BGSC) because I decided it was time to learn how to swim, as an adult!

Growing up in South London, I did have swimming lessons in primary school, but continuing to swim as a leisure activity wasn’t something I did, and I knew loads of other black women related to this. During a short stint working at a leisure centre, I came across this poster with alarming statistics around black people drowning! I was working closely with the children’s swim school there and it got me thinking that I needed to create a comfortable environment for myself and other adult black women to learn to swim.

The video below is the first time I announced by vision for BGSC on social media (transcript included)!

Founder story

01 So I can't swim. I did learn to swim when I was a kid. We used to go to Brixton recreation center, but I just didn't carry on. And this is not uncommon for other black people.

14 So here's a stat up there, 80% of black children and 95% of black adults do not swim in the UK, so I found that stat out quite recently, and I was like, wow, that's alarming. It's like I knew, but I didn't know.

28 So I'm really excited about this, but I'm starting a swim school, and the aim is called Black Girl Swim Club. Even though I can't call it a club, I call it school because we can't swim. But it's for black girls to learn to swim, have fun. It's like a social club and a safe space for us.

47 And I'm looking to partner with brands like hair cap, swimming cap, brands like Soul cap, maybe get some nice, personalized embroidered towels so you feel part of the club, like shower shoes, I'm thinking floats. I don't know fun stuff to get us doing this, because it's a life skill. That's what I've been told. I know it sounds dumb, but like I don't know. I'm just more around water, but, you know, I think we should do this. Have fun together. Next time you're on a yacht on holiday, you can actually jump in the water, and, yeah, we'll learn how to take care of our hair and our skin, and we'll learn new skills together.

28 So I want to start this in London, but if there are, if there's interest in other cities or in other countries, then definitely let me know. I'm currently putting together a survey so I can find out all this information. I've had really good responses so far, good amount, but I just want to share this out on Tiktok, and hope it reaches. So share with your friends, family, who you think would be interested in joining so I can gauge, like, what kind of ages want to do this. It's I'm thinking adults like my around my age, because I think it can be intimidating when you're not a child and you're not going to your like kiddie swim school, you don't want to be the only adult there. So I think I'm thinking adults, but if people are interested, let me know.

13 So yeah, DM me. I don't currently have 1000 followers, so I can't put a link in my bio just yet, but maybe follow me so I can get my followers to 1000 so I can put a link and be much easier for everyone, but for now, just DM me your email address and your name, and I'll add you, and I will send you a survey and keep you updated on this black girl swimming club.