MESSAGE FROM OUR CO-FOUNDER
MEET LILY DURKEE, CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF DW
During the Black Lives Matter movement, I was thinking of ways that I could make a positive difference in my community.
I was inspired by the BLM Statement released by Immersion Research and realized that I could focus my efforts on a community that is very important to me — the paddling community.
I started whitewater kayaking when I was 9 years old, and I grew up almost always being the only Asian or non-white face on the river.
It was something I had accepted as normal. Then, I had this sudden realization that it didn’t have to always be that way. I had a vision of a group of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) floating down the river together, huge grins on their faces. I also knew that the paddling community had always supported me, so I felt confident that I could make this dream a reality.
I partnered with Antoinette Lee Toscano to start Diversify Whitewater in June 2020.
Diversify Whitewater hosted two free community paddling events in that first year in Northern Colorado and supported over 100 participants with the help of numerous volunteers and local sponsors. The outpouring of local support was incredible and showed how eager the community was to support efforts like this. We have continued to grow our national footprint since, and seeing the smiles and hearing the thank you’s from participants never, ever gets old.