The Chicago-based Rainbow Races hosts “Rainbow Regattas” to promote diversity and equality within sailing, specifically among the LGBTQ community.
When we started the loop, Eddie Gill IV embarked on a “Journey for a Cause,” a 10-day cruise down the inland rivers where he held fishing events for kids along the way and to bring awareness to the lack of diversity within the boating and fishing community.
Brooklyn Boatworks offers programming for NYC families and students primarily in Title-I NYC schools to learn boatbuilding and STEM skills through maritime activities. Thankfully it is encouraging to see groups trying to diversify and increase access to this space.
Boating is too fun and has too many benefits to be represented or enjoyed by a single demographic. Photos lining yacht club rooms were primarily of white men, we could count the number of women we saw driving boats on two hands, and out of 2,000 boats that have completed the Loop since 1985, it wasn’t until 2021 when the first African American woman completed the journey. While the boating community was generally welcoming to us, it was hard to ignore its lack of diversity. We found a new appreciation of how much our current day is shaped by our past and a sense of gratitude for all the courage, ingenuity, and curiosity of those that came before us. The more we realized how much history was around us, the more we found ourselves wanting to learn more, visiting museums ( Detroit's Historical Museum was a favorite) reading books ( Holding Back the River is a must-read), listening to podcasts, or googling History channel episodes on an area of interest. During our visit to Shiloh Battlefield, we learned how the Union used the same waterways on the Loop to transport soldiers and provisions during battle. Traveling along the Erie Canal we saw how communities transformed as the canal evolved. The Dismal Swam p was no longer just a forested waterway, but a place for reflection on how it served as a harsh sanctuary for people seeking freedom. From the Revolutionary War to westward expansion to the Civil War, history came to life on this trip in ways we ever expected. So much of our country’s history takes place along our waterways.
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