Leidy Gellona, 12, was brought to tears after an official said her suit violated rules by being political, her mother said.
A 12-year-old swimmer was briefly disqualified from a competition in Wisconsin this week for wearing a homemade Black Lives Matter swimsuit, her mother said.
“She said, ‘Mom, I’m not taking this suit off,’” Lyons said. “I don’t think either one of us ever thought that she was just going to change her suit. Knowing her, I knew she was going to stand true.”Lyons said the race official told her Leidy’s swimsuit was political, but she argued otherwise. Classie Dudley, president of the Duluth branch of the NAACP, told NBC News she called the local media and gathered about 20 more people with allied groups who went to the swim meet and advocated on behalf of Leidy.
“There were officials. There were other coaches. There were parents. They came to the side and supported her and showed solidarity. But they didn’t advocate on her behalf,” Dudley said. “You can’t just say you’re about advocacy and equity. You actually have to act on it.”“The meet went on. The kids were swimming. And the parents were cheering. There was one person who wasn’t swimming, who was sobbing, and that was the only Black kid there,” she said.
“In response to this ruling, Duluth YMCA staff swiftly disputed the claim directly with swimming officials and were in immediate contact with Duluth YMCA Leadership. The Duluth YMCA quickly overruled the decision, removed the official,” the statement said.
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