Meet the Black women pushing for equality in swimming

By Sana Noor Haq and Louis Leeson, CNN

Updated 0825 GMT (1625 HKT) July 25, 2022

(CNN)Omie Dale has fond memories of splashing in the sea as a child, of racing through water parks and swimming in backwaters and rivers.

«There's so much joy that can be had once you learn to swim, once you've abandoned those fears and you can get in the water,» the 25-year-old Dale, who is based in southeast London, tells CNN Sport. Even though swimming is a joyful experience for Dale, the stark reality is that many Black communities in Britain and the US do not have safe access to swimming lessons and public pools due to historic racism and segregation — a problem that is especially alarming given that, as Dale says, it is «the only sport that can save your life.» A history of exclusionThe lack of access afforded to Black communities in Britain is what motivated Dale to become a swimming teacher in September 2019. Read More«I used to work in Kensington (in London) as a lifeguard and some of the richest people live in that borough, but also some of the poorest,» she says. She saw there was a difference when private schools and independent schools would come in and all the kids were able to swim, yet hardly any children of the same age that Dale saw from state schools could swim 25 meters. «There's a real class barrier in the sport of swimming,» Dale adds. ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMeet the Black women pushing for equality in swimming 04:56She co-founded Swimunity in 2020 to offer free swimming lessons to women and children in North Kensington, West London.The collective was born in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, when a residential block caught on fire, killing 72 people — and leaving many more without homes. «There's