NAACP makes YMCA reverse decision to make 12-year-old change Black Lives Matter swimsuit
Leidy Gallona, a 12-year-old swimmer was disqualified from a Wisconsin meet for wearing a Black Lives Matter swimsuit; the decision, however, was reversed when the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) stepped in to help reinstate Leidy in the race. The young athlete wore the swimsuit to honor the death of 22-year-old Amir Locke who was recently shot by a SWAT officer of the Minneapolis Police Department.
Sarah Lyons, Leidy’s mom described the significance of wearing that swimsuit for her daughter. She said for her it was a tribute to Amir Locke who was shot dead by police on Feb 2 because the Black Lives Matter movement is very important to her as a woman of color. “She is very passionate about social justice. She has been through a lot already at a young age. It's a big part of her, which I think is wild at 12," Lyons said.
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For Duluth Area Family YMCA, which sponsored Wisconsin Meet on Sunday, February 6, at Superior High School, the bathing suit was a violation of USA Swimming's policy that specifically bans any kind of political language. According to them, Leidy would have been allowed to change into another suit but an “independent volunteer official inappropriately barred a student athlete from taking part in the meet, due to their "Black Lives Matter" swimsuit, stating the policy that “went against USA Swimming's policy of no political language," the local YMCA said. The official later changed their reason for dismissal to one of logo size, rather than political speech.
Duluth YMCA leaders later reversed the disqualification after Lyons involved the NAACP in the matter. The non-profit organization went as far as to ban the volunteer race official who took the liberty to disqualify the young athlete. The Duluth YMCA later put out a statement regarding the incident, stating that it would "hold officials accountable for further education to address systemic racism."
"The Duluth YMCA is saddened that the student, their family, and teammates had to endure this unacceptable behavior. The Duluth YMCA will continue our ongoing commitment to train all staff and volunteers on diversity, equity, and inclusion," the statement said. "The Duluth Area Family YMCA is committed to being an anti-racist organization and stands with BIPOC communities throughout the Northland and throughout our country. We know that Black Lives Matter and we will continue to work to educate ourselves, to stand against inequality, and to strive to be active allies in the ongoing fight for diversity, equity and inclusion."
A picture of Leidy in her statement swimsuit has since gone viral with celebrities like LeBron James promoting the young swimmer by posting her picture on his Instagram Stories in support.
When the volunteer race official told Leidy to change or else she would be disqualified, Leidy said “Mom, I'm not taking the suit off” Her mother replied: 'You go, girl.' Classie Dudley, president of the NAACP's Duluth Branch said: "This is a humanitarian issue. It's not political. It's human. It's humanizing something."
"It's important that when you see something, you have to say something,' Dudley added. 'That same energy that the NAACP brought when we showed up to support Leidy is the same energy that the community should have had in that moment."
The Duluth NAACP also took notes of who and how people stood up for the determined athlete. "There were 500 people in that room, and nobody noticed what was going on," said Leidy’s mom.