SOUTH FLORIDA – Even as much of the U.S. and even our Caribbean American community get all a little stupid watching the Olympics, there might be a corner of it we have not focused on enough.
Those of us who grew up watching all kinds of people play water polo, a little revolution is taking place in Brazil.
This Jamaican youngster, Ashleigh Johnson is not only the only black person on the U.S. women’s water polo team, but she is the only one from California. And thanks to her mother, we can claim her as Jamaican, as well.
Read about Ashleigh Johnson and learn, or better yet, remind yourself about the sacrifices your parents made and it is not really a big deal.
Her mother wanted her children to live away from the distractions of inner city life and bought a home in south Dade’s Redlands area. The home came with a pool and after cleaning it up, they family realized the youngsters couldn’t swim.
Well, that was soon fixed and now, 21 year old Ashleigh Johnson has proven so many idiots who claimed black people can’t swim, wrong; something that if she was told she would probably simply have ignored or thought funny, maybe.
In other words, as presumptuous as it sounds, in addition to Usain Bolt, people from this tiny little island has so much to teach this world, including the U.S.
Voice your opinion on the “Open Line” with Winston Barnes daily on WAVS 1170AM or listen on-line http://wavs1170.com/
Photo Credit: Leroy “Dreamy” Riley
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