2025 Shop for a Change

USRowing’s Shop for a Change supports minority and women-owned businesses that align with our desire to open boathouse doors and this year’s campaign will run through May 2025.

Meet the owners behind BRAID and Open Water: Histories of AfroAquatics

BRAID - Joy Neal 

Joy Neal is a proud co-founder of BRAID (Black Rowers Amplifying Inclusion and Diversity) and a dedicated advocate for social change within the sport of rowing. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Joy is a third-year member of Clemson's women’s varsity team. She began her rowing career with Central Ohio Rowing her freshman year of high school in 2018, where she first discovered her passion for the sport. With seven years of experience, Joy is passionate about creating opportunities for Black rowers to excel both on and off the water. 

 As president of Tigers Unite at Clemson, she works to foster a sense of belonging and unity among student-athletes, celebrating their diverse identities. Through BRAID, Joy is focused on amplifying the voices and stories of Black rowers, offering mentorship and building a community where athletes are supported and empowered. 

 Guided by a belief in the power of representation, Joy is committed to inspiring the next generation of rowers to see themselves in the sport and know that they belong. Her leadership is fueled by her passion for social justice and her vision of a more inclusive and equitable rowing community. 

Living by the words of Shirley Chisholm, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” Joy sees her work with BRAID as creating a seat for Black rowers in a space that has too often excluded them, making room for their voices, experiences, and contributions. Looking forward, she aims to expand BRAID’s reach and ensure that every Black rower who picks up an oar has a strong community and network to support their growth. 

BRAID - Amari Randall 

Amari Randall is a proud co-founder of BRAID (Black Rowers Amplifying Inclusion and Diversity) and a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the world of rowing. 

Originally from Williamsburg, VA, Amari currently rows for the University of Delaware women’s rowing team. She began her rowing journey as a walk-on to the varsity women’s rowing team at Clemson University in 2022, and her experience in the sport has been nothing short of extraordinary. 

 Amari’s love for rowing goes hand-in-hand with her mission to create meaningful change. She is deeply committed to amplifying the voices of athletes who, like her, have historically been underrepresented in rowing. Inspired by the words of Maya Angelou, Amari strives to “be the change” she wishes to see in the world and works tirelessly to ensure that every Black child knows they have the power to achieve greatness. 

Through BRAID, Amari is determined to provide a safe and empowering space for Black rowers, fostering community, mentorship, and opportunity for current and future athletes. Her favorite lines from Maya Angelou’s poem “Hey Black Child” serve as a guiding mantra: “Do you know you can be what you want to be if you try to be what you can be?” 

 With her unwavering passion and dedication, Amari is excited to create a legacy of inclusion, representation, and excellence in rowing. 

BRAID - Baylor Henry 

Baylor Henry is a proud executive board member of BRAID (Black Rowers Amplifying Inclusion and Diversity) and an advocate for diversity and inclusion. An Atlanta native, Baylor began her rowing journey back in 2017 with Atlanta Junior Rowing Association and continued her athletic career in 2021 with Drexel Women’s Crew. 

Her love for rowing continued outside Drexel, with making history in the first all black women's eight in 2022 at the Head of the Charles Regatta. Her account blackgirlsrow helped create meaningful change to amplify the voices of athletes who have historically been underrepresented in rowing. 

 As captain of Drexel crew, she understands the importance of fostering belonging and camaraderie among her peers, celebrating their strengths and advocates for her teammates to use their voices. Through BRAID, Baylor’s leadership is guided by resilience and liberty to influence the mindset of next generation rowers that “we can too”. 

 Living by the words of Denzel Washington, “never compromise who you are...” Baylor sees her work with BRAID as an opportunity to instill value, confidence, and respect for Black rowers in a space that has often overlooked them. Looking ahead, she is excited to champion diversity in rowing, paving the way for Black excellence and ensuring the sport evolves into a space where everyone can thrive.  

BRAID - Olyma Desarmes 

Olyma Desarmes is a proud executive board member of B.R.A.I.D (Black Rowers Amplifying Inclusion and Diversity) and a committed advocate for diversity and inclusion for black athletes. 

Home grown from Connecticut, Olyma currently rows for Syracuse University, majoring in Psychology. Her rowing journey started as a walk-on to the varsity women's rowing team in fall of 2022, with her previous athletic background in olympic weightlifting and lacrosse. 

Olyma’s why in the sport, emulates her goal in life to initiate positive change in the world. As Rowing is the least diverse sport among the NCAA, she is committed to creating change for more inclusion. Through her journey of navigating spaces where she often felt underrepresented, it has inspired her to become an outspoken advocate for inclusion, mental health, and racial equity in sports. 

Through her leadership in B.R.A.I.D. Olyma is dedicated to advocating for underrepresented athletes, centering conversation about race and identity, and pushing for systemic change within rowing programs. In the wise words of James Baldwin “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced” Through B.R.A.I.D. Our initiative is to be the change and start paving more room for Black athletes in the rowing space. 

Open Water - Ebony Iman Dallas 

Ebony Iman Dallas is a fifth-generation Oklahoman and second-generation Somali American mixed-media artist whose work combines contemporary African woodcarving and textiles with line work inspired by Somali henna designs. Dallas’ work has exhibited extensively, including in her joint exhibition with Guggenheim Fellow Ron Tarver at Oklahoma Contemporary, The Romare Bearden Centennial Celebration in New York, and her solo exhibition “Through Abahay’s Eyes” at Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland, CA. She was a participating artist in the City of Tulsa’s Greenwood Art Project and co-lead artist and project manager for the $117k mosaic mural honoring the late Willa D. Johnson, Oklahoma City’s first African-American female councilwoman. This mural is located at the City of Oklahoma City’s Willa D. Johnson Recreation Center.  
 
After receiving her MFA from California College of the Arts, Dallas went on to found Afrikanation Artists Organization in Hargeisa, Somaliland where they opened the first art gallery in the post-war region and in the United States. In 2023 Dallas was named Paseo Artist of the Year and she is a founding fellow of the Oklahoma City Thunder Artist Group. In 2022 she was named LEAP Artist of the Year and artist in residence. 
 
Previously she worked in the Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies at The University of Oklahoma and the School of Visual Arts at Oklahoma City University.