Matthew talks about a recent decision by FINA, the International Swimming Federation, against the use of Soul Cap swimming caps and the impact of the decision against the inclusion of Black swimmers in the future.
Matthew talks about a recent decision by FINA, the International Swimming Federation, against the use of Soul Cap swimming caps and the impact of the decision against the inclusion of Black swimmers in the future.
Resources mentioned:
"Swimming caps for natural black hair ruled out of Olympic Games" (The Guardian)
Jelani Talks About Racism (Episode 01)
Jordan Talks About Systemic Racism (Episode 03)
Charnaie Talks About Diversity (Episode 19)
Ben Talks About White Privilege (Episode 20)
Matthew: Hello, listeners.
I’m popping into your podcast feed with this bonus episode today, July 4th 2021 because there’s something that made the news that I think we should talk about.
Last Friday, July 2nd, FINA, the International Swimming Federation that oversees swimming sports in the Olympics, announced that Soul Cap would not be permitted at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan later this month.
But first, some context. Soul Cap is a Black-own business out of Great Britain that makes swimming caps to fit over and protect dreadlocks, afros, weaves, hair extensions, braids, and thick and curly hair. Most professional swimmers wear a swimming cap to protect their hair from chlorinated water, to keep their hair relatively dry, and to reduce drag when swimming.
If you swim regularly or are in a swim club, there’s a great chance that you also wear a swimming cap. They’re usually made from silicone, latex, or lycra and they are made to fit snugly on your head.
At this point you might be wondering, “Well, what makes Soul Cap different from other caps that the International Swimming Federation wouldn’t allow swimmers to wear them?” And the answer is, the hair they are meant to protect.
You, listener, know your hair. You know how easily (or not) it is to press it flat. You can probably imagine how easy (or not) it would be to brush, braid, or pin your hair so that it can be entirely covered by a swim cap. But different people have different hair. And, specifically, white people and Asian people and Hispanic and Latinx people have different hair from Black people.
Now you might be saying to yourself, “Well, yeah Matthew. Obviously our hair is different.” Which is good.
Now I want you to consider what you do to your hair to take care of it. Beyond shampoo and conditioner. Beyond brushing your hair. Do you use any products to help keep your hair moisturized? Do you use protective oil? Do you get your hair styled? Do you see where I am going with this?
I am not Black. But I know a little about what work my Black friends do to maintain their hair. I also know that no matter how long I grow my hair or how I style it, I can easily get it to lay flat against my skull if I need to because of my type of hair. And likewise, I know my Black friends cannot.
So Soul Cap created a swimming cap to help protect natural hair and allow Black people and other people with thick and curly hair to still swim, competitively or not, and still enjoy time in the pool without having to worry about the effects the pool will have on their hair. What an awesome thing, right? I bet you or some friends that you know would really be grateful to know that this product exists because regular swim caps just do not work for all hair types. Period. End of story.
But it’s not the end of the story because the International Swimming Federation determined that swimmers would not be permitted to wear caps made by Soul Cap at the 2021 Olympic Games.
Alice Dearing qualified to become the first black female swimmer to represent Team Great Britain at the Olympics. She’s the co-founder of the Black Swimming Association and she recently partnered with Soul Cap. She is a name you should commit to memory. She’s a force in the pool and out. The whole world is going to be cheering for her at the end of this month.
The International Swimming Federation said the caps made by Soul Cap did not fit “the natural form of the head” and to their “best knowledge the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require … caps of such size and configuration”.
And this is the phrase I want us to zero in on. Because Alice Dearing is the FIRST black female swimmer to represent Great Britain at the Olympic games. Because in 2016 at the Rio Olympics, Simone Manuel was the first female African American to win an Olympic medal. Because in 2004, Maritza McClendon of Georgia became the first Black female Olympic swimmer for USA Swimming.
It has taken a LONG time for Black girls and women who swim to see themselves represented at the Olympics. And as we’ve talked about on this show with Jelani Memory when we talked about racism, with Jordan Theirry when we talked about system racism, and with many, many more guests, it’s hard to see yourself succeeding at something if you have never seen someone like you succeeding at something.
This is the opposite of inspiration. With inspiration, you see someone accomplish something and you say “Hey! That person’s like me in a lot of ways! Maybe that means I can accomplish what they’ve accomplished. Maybe even BEYOND what they’ve accomplished!”
If you have never seen someone who looks like you in a space of success or accomplishment, it’s a lot harder to envision being in that space one day. It’s a barrier that stands in the way of accomplishing that goal. Many do stand against these barriers, overcome them, and become the first. But it’s those barriers that can keep others from trying.
Barriers such as swimming caps. The cap that protects your natural hair. So that you can wear the hair that makes you feel most like you. So that you don’t need to worry a cap sliding off. Or having to change hair styles so that you can wear the same cap that everyone else wears, even though they didn’t need to change their hair style at all. So that you don’t have to think “maybe this isn’t a space for me. Maybe this isn’t a space where I can feel included. Where I can show up as I am.”
So here’s what you can do…
Make space. Are you on a swim team? Do the swimmers all wear swimming caps? Are options available at swim stores for teammates with naturally thick and curly hair? Or are the options limited to just one or two brands that fit the exact same way?
The International Swimming Federation said that the caps made by Soul Cap do not fit “the natural form of the head”, but since when do all of us have the same-shaped head? They said that for all they knew, athletes, “never used [nor] required caps” like what Soul Cap makes. Is that because NO SWIMMER has ever complained about how the swimming caps didn’t fit their natural hair? Is it because organizations like the International Swimming Federation have not noticed the use of specialized caps?
Charnaie Gordon was recently on the podcast and she talked about diversity and inclusion. I’ll add a link to her episode in the show notes as well as to other episodes and resources that I’ve mentioned. But to include others in activities, we need to understand that the people that are participating are different. Bodies and hair and needs are diverse. There’s no one size (or one swimming cap) fits all.
So my purpose today was to help raise your awareness of what’s going on in the world, how it might affect you and the people around you, and how you might make small steps to help make spaces more inclusive and accessible to all.
It can be as simple as making sure your local swimming or sports supply store carries swimming cap options for all people. It can be as straightforward as knowing the names that inspire and show a future and possibilities to kids around the world. Remember their names? Alice Dearing. Simone Manuel. Maritza McClendon. It can be as plain as seeing something wrong or unjust in the world, and speaking up about it.
Others will listen. Keep using your voice and your power. It’s making the world a more welcoming space for everyone.
Alright. So here’s your homework. Check out Soul Cap. See what their product looks like and how it’s serving a community. I’ll have a link in the show notes. And homework part 2: share this story with someone else. Sharing raises awareness. Awareness can lead to action.
Thanks.