“When I was younger, I almost drowned in our childhood pool. I was leaning over the edge, fell in, and my brother went in after me. That’s why I’m here today. I was fearful for a bit after that. But my neighbors swam every day, and I learned to become a strong swimmer at their house. When it came to my peers and Black culture around swimming, I noticed things like generational barriers and that a lot of Black women don’t want get their hair wet. During COVID, I started looking for Black-owned pool inflatable companies and I didn’t find any. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, people think we can’t swim.’ I wanted to change that narrative. I launched Alma Ocean, my line of pool inflatables with a Kente African pattern. I knew I also needed to help my community. That’s when I launched AlmaSwimFoundation, merged the two, and now, I have a non-profit. We raise funds to help cover costs of swim lessons, which are open to any and everybody who wants to learn. We also organize cool water safety ...