Breaking the Surface: Black Faces, Deep Roots — How Catherine White and André Musgrove Reframe the Stigma of Swimming

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Across cultures, the assumption that Black people don’t swim is pervasive—a stereotype steeped in history and reinforced by generational trauma, lack of resources, and systemic barriers. But the tide is turning, thanks to powerful voices like Naomie Harris and André Musgrove, who are illuminating why Black bodies belong in the water—and why belonging matters.

Source: CatWhite Instragram

Cat White & Naomie Harris: A Sea of Sisterhood Brought to Screen

The soul of Swim Sistas begins not just with who narrates it, but with who envisioned it. Cat White, a filmmaker and advocate for intersectional storytelling, created the documentary as a response to both personal experience and a wider cultural erasure. Through her lens, Swim Sistas explores the relationship Black women have with water—a relationship shaped by history, trauma, resilience, and ultimately, joy.

To bring this vision to life, White enlisted Golden Globe–nominated actress Naomie Harris (Moonlight, Caribbean narratives) to narrate the film, lending it both star power and emotional resonance. Harris’s narration gives voice to the shared journey: from entrenched fears to waves of empowerment. Through White’s storytelling and Harris’s delivery, the documentary dismantles the enduring myth that Black bodies and water don’t belong together. It instead celebrates a growing community of Black women who find solace, strength, and self-love in the water.

For many Black families, the water is layered with cautionary lessons like “don’t go in deep,” “stay where others can see you”—echoes of a legacy built on exclusion: restricted pool access, segregated beaches, and underfunded swim education. These generational warnings created barriers rooted in fear. But thanks to filmmakers like White, narrators like Harris, and creatives like Musgrove, the tides are shifting. Each story is a ripple—together, they form a wave.

André Musgrove: From Freediver to Ocean Emissary

At 28, Bahamian-born André Musgrove is redefining what it means for a Black man to be at home in the deep. A professional freediver, underwater photographer, and filmmaker, he routinely dives on a single breath, chasing sharks, rays, and unexplored depths to weave breathtaking narratives beneath the waves.

Musgrove’s artistry confounds expectations. He captures freedivers gliding alongside Caribbean reef sharks, modeling underwater dances or playing piano statues in sunny Exuma—media that challenge fear and reaffirm beauty in oceanic space. His iconic shot of a woman in a yellow dress, playing piano underwater amid shifting currents, synthesizes liberation and poetry—evidence that vulnerability and power can coexist concrete beneath the waves.

Why Their Stories Matter:

• Visibility that Heals
  When viewers see Harris’s voice guiding Black womxn toward water wellness or see Musgrove—a Black ocean explorer—embracing megafauna, the pool of imagination expands. Each new image, story, and film douses generational fears with renewed possibility.

• Reclaiming Water as Safe Space
  Harris and Musgrove aren’t just swimming—they’re forming ecosystems of belonging. Harris speaks to the physical and emotional barriers she witnessed; Musgrove’s vivid underwater scenes repaint the ocean as a realm of respect and intimacy, not threat.

• Cultural Continuity and Conservation
  Musgrove’s Bahamian roots affirm a legacy: in many Caribbean cultures, Black families have longstanding bonds with the sea. His films speak not only to identity but also to stewardship—marrying beauty with activism by highlighting endangered sharks and oceanic preservation.

Their shared fields—water-based storytelling—mask distinct journeys. Harris amplifies communal healing through narrative. Musgrove carves visual odes that open eyes, hearts and eventually, closed fists around fear. Together, they are dismantling stereotypes, expanding Black representation, and leading a cultural current toward liberation.

Looking Ahead

• Documentaries like Swim Sistas, narrated by figures like Harris, help normalize Black comfort in aquatic spaces.

• Artistry and activism, exemplified by Musgrove’s freediving and filmmaking, bridge social perceptions with ecological purpose.

• Institutional shifts are underway—more Black-led swim clinics, inclusive swimwear brands, and aquatic programming powered by cultural pride.

Take-Home Ripple: The Water is Ours

When Naomie Harris recounts individual resistance family fears, cultural reluctance and André Musgrove captures freedivers harmonizing with whales, they’re not just swimming. They’re unfurling ancestral belonging, reconnecting Black bodies to a grace long denied. Their stories echo: Black lives and limbs are meant for water.

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Kareen Kennedy is the Assistant Editor of Entertainment for Florida National News
kareen.kennedy@floridanationalnews.com