Mahogany Mermaids began in 2014 as a social swim group created to fill a gap—offering swim and aquatic programs specifically for mature Black women. What started as a space for fellowship and fun quickly became a movement to reclaim our community’s heritage in the water and reintroduce swimming as a joyful, healing, and empowering practice.
 

By 2018, the growing demand for our energy and approach inspired us to pursue coaching and instructor certifications. Along the way, we became a touchstone for other Black-led swim clubs across the country—offering guidance, encouragement, and a model for culturally-rooted aquatic programming. In 2020, in partnership with Miller Swimming, we applied for and were awarded an Adult Learn to Swim grant, which the Charlotte swim community not only supported—but generously exceeded in matching funds. From that incredible momentum, Evolutionary Aquatics was born as a nonprofit, continuing the Mahogany Mermaids legacy with a renewed focus on access, advocacy, and community in aquatics.