Black History Invitation Swim Meet is 34 Years Old!

This week closes out Black History Month, but Black history doesn’t stop at the end of February. Part of honoring this month is acknowledging that Black history is being made daily and isn’t just Black history but American history. While you may know that there have been Diversity meets in the past (Illinois Swimming usually puts one on each year), you probably don’t know about the Black History Invitational which would have celebrated it’s 35th year this month. The meet started in the 1980s as a dual meet between D.C. Parks and Rec and Baltimore parks. Soon teams from Philadelphia, Atlanta and New York began attending. Cullen Jones, Olympic gold medalist, participated in this meet as a 10&under! Click here to read more about it! Click here to see top times from 2020s meet. On another note, I'd like to mention that your former teammate, Dani Rose, is a member of the IL Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) committee and is getting ready to help Illinois Swimming make some really positive changes towards a more equitable and inclusive environment. If you have the means to get in touch with her, send her a high five and let her know that you’re celebrating the history she is making!