If you have ever met me in person I have probably tried to convince you to try scuba diving. Getting more people and particularly women and people of color into the water is one of my life missions! In pursuit of that goal I became a Divemaster in January and I am in the process of writing a book with the working title, Divine Diving - Sacred Lessons from Under the Sea.
Many people have told me that my passion for diving has almost convinced them to give it a try. And then they admit that my enthusiams cannot overcome their greatest fear - sharks! Most people have never seen a shark, and know very little about this very diverse species. But many people have seen the movie Jaws (which turned 50 this year) and it scared them as a kid. Jaws is to sharks what Birth of a Nation was to Black people.
So this is Shark Week on the Discovery Channel and it can get it a bit sensational, but it also introduces people to more information about sharks. In honor of Shark Week I am going to do share my real lived experience with sharks and help people to think about them differently.
Today’s reflection recommendation is focused on two pieces that are challenging folks to see sharks differently. The first is Sharks Don’t Sink by shark scientist Jasmine Graham. She is a Black woman who is one of the founders of MISS (Minorities in Shark Science). She weaves her own story as a woman and person of color together with real information about sharks and their plight as an endangered species. I read her book on a dive boat in Bahamas while swimming with sharks multiple times a day. The other is the Netflix movie, The Shark Whisperer, about shark scientist Ocean Ramsey. Changing people’s image of sharks is her life misssion and the documentary tells her story of finding her purpose. Check out my short vlog to learn more about them both!
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