Swimming now has a wave of diversity to drown out Little Mermaid protests

D isney has always been at the heart of breaking down barriers in society and swims against the tide in its diverse casting and smashes the patriarchal system out of the water. As Disney celebrates its 100th year, I can’t help but reflect on what Disney has taught me; that anything is possible.

Disney might be fiction, but our youth of today look up to the characters as role models so who Disney represent and how they represent them is real. That means the repercussions of racism and abuse towards Disney characters can be damaging and impactful as racism towards people.

Last week, Disney’s The Little Mermaid hit our screens and I’m excited for the world to see it, but the movie has been a hot topic of conversation over the past year as Halle Bailey, a talented black actor, takes on the role as Ariel. It’s disappointing, to say the least, that waves of complaints and dislikes have come to the surface simply because Ariel was white in the original cartoon movie, but to hear the common myths I’ve been trying so hard to shift for many years in sport has hit me harder than I expected.

I grew up with the familiar phrase that “black people don’t swim” and “black people sink in water”, but to still hear these comments regarding a movie in today’s society is very disappointing. I decided to step away from competitive sport last year and it took me a sporting lifetime to say I was proud to be a swimmer, but I know negative stereotypes can act as a barrier to people participating in sport.

Why set your children up to fail in a sport they won’t succeed at? For people of colour, this is the question many parents will ask themselves before putting their children in swimming lessons. Since retiring, I’ve made it my mission to provide