As part of the Swim Seattle Initiative, Seattle Parks & Recreation is partnering with Oshun Swim School to offer trauma-informed and Afro-Indigenous centered swim opportunities to our Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) + Allies community.
Through a series of open swims and educational workshops, participants can expect to experience a safer space for BIPOC + Allies to explore our relationship with water.
BIPOC + Allies Open Swims
These open swims are geared towards women and non-binary BIPOC beginner swimmers to practice your skills and improve your water comfort, and for advanced swimmers to have a safer space to swim in community! Please note, allies are welcome to join! Come enjoy music, and the magic of playing in water with community. Open swims are offered monthly for BIPOC+ Allies who are 16+, Saturdays 5:30-7PM at Rainier Beach Community Center & Pool. See flyer for dates!
Click here to register! – $5 per session, waiver available!
We Come From Mermaids: A History of Black People & Swim
This three-part series is an invitation to immerse yourself in the rich history of the African Diaspora and water! Learn more about the ways our ancestors engaged with water for resistance and joy during slavery times and the middle passage, and the multitude of rich aquatic traditions in Atlantic African cultures pre-European contact. Through games, conversation, readings, lectures, and meditation, we will tap into the joy, liberation, resistance, and wisdom that connects us to our ancestors. We encourage you to take as many parts as you are able, but it is not required to come to all three. Please register for each segment you are attending! See flyer for dates and times!
Please note the classroom workshops (Part 1 & 2) centers the Black experience but welcomes folks of all identities. The water workshop (Part 3) is a Black affinity space.
Click here to register! – $5 per session, waiver available!
**NEW FOR JULY** Field trip to Colman Pool!
On Saturday, July 27 join Oshun Swim School, AfroSwimmers, and the BIPOC + Allies community on a field trip to attend the 3:45 pm public swim together at Colman Pool. Colman Pool is an outdoor, Olympic size, saltwater pool, located in Lincoln Park in West Seattle. This is a family-friendly event and will include both lap lanes and open swim space. Details, including 3:00 pm meeting location, and registration here: *July ALL AGES Field trip to Coleman Pool* BIPOC Open Swim (allies welcome) | Oshun Swim School (coursestorm.com)
Coming Soon: Black Lifeguard Certification!
