Black People Will Swim Named Finalist in Pine-Sol & ESSENCE's Build Your Legacy Contest

NEW YORK, June 1, 2020 (Newswire.com) - Black People Will Swim, a purpose-driven organization, was selected as a finalist for Pine-Sole and ESSENCE's "Build Your Legacy" contest. Pine-Sole and ESSENCE have partnered to celebrate and uplift Black women in business with the contest. One lucky Black female entrepreneur will be awarded a $100,000 grant to support her small business endeavors. The contest kicked off in March, with entrepreneurs from across America sending in videos explaining who they are, what they do, and how the grant would help support their businesses.

Black People Will Swim is an organization working to smash the stereotype that Black people do not swim. Using educational tools to expose the history of Black people and swimming in the U.S., they are working towards their mission to teach 2,020 Black people how to swim by December 2020. The team is working to bring awareness to the disparity in lieu of in-person instruction due to COVID-19.

“Black People Will Swim is honored to be a finalist for the 'Build Your Legacy' program. What we are doing for the community is truly game-changing and to be recognized for our work is so humbling. This is just the beginning, and we are excited for the opportunity to have access to more resources to power our work,” - Paulana Lamonier, Founder of Black People Will Swim 

Voting for the winner of the contest will be open to the public starting today June 1 and run through July 1. The grand prize winner will be announced on July 4. The team plans to use the $100,000 to rent a pool facility, compensate their operational team, hire instructors of color and provide scholarships to student-athletes, locally and abroad, who excel in the pool and in the classroom. To learn more about the program and vote for Black People Will Swim visit www.essence.com/your-legacy.

About Black People Will Swim 

An organization working to smash stereotypes around Black people and swimming, Black People Will Swim aims to teach 2,020 people how to swim by December 2020 with initiatives to educate those on the layered history of Black people and their relationship to swimming in the U.S. With trained instructors, scholarship programs for student-athletes and their #MySwimStory campaign that highlights personal stories, Black People Will Swim is working to normalize swimming in Black communities.

Source: Black People Will Swim