Along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, a rowing organization founded by a former Division I athlete has quietly introduced more than 1,000 people to the sport, offering free instruction in a discipline long dominated by wealth and whiteness. Brannon Johnson launched BLJ Community Rowing in 2013, and it now stands as the first Black-owned rowing organization in the country.
Johnson's own path into the sport began at 15, when she was introduced to crew through the Fairmount Park Community Rowing Program in Philadelphia, according to BLJ Community Rowing. She went on to become a single sculler, earned a full Division I scholarship to the University of Texas, and later competed in England's Henley Royal Regatta, according to CBS News. Along the way, she said she rarely saw other athletes who looked like her while traveling and competing at a high level, per the same report.
That experience shaped the organization she eventually built. BLJ Community Rowing aims to remove the barriers that have historically kept people out of the sport, and Johnson has said access itself is one of the biggest obstacles facing would-be rowers. Today, the station's report notes, BLJ runs one of Philadelphia's most diverse community rowing programs, offering free instruction to young participants and helping them build confidence and skills on the water.
From the Basketball Court to the Boathouse
Among the program's participants is Jabrael Thomas, who has rowed for four years after stepping away from basketball to take up the sport. He told the outlet he was initially surprised that Black people rowed at all, a reaction that underscores just how invisible the sport has historically been in Black communities. Thomas said rowing has become calming and soothing for him, and he plans to continue rowing in college.
Johnson has said her goal is to help more young people see themselves in rowing and gain access to a sport that can open doors in college and beyond, per the same account. That framing lines up with rowing's well-documented diversity gap: a 2021 NCAA demographic study cited by The Shipley School found that 77 percent of female college rowers identified as White and just 2 percent as Black, ranking crew as the fourth-least racially diverse sport among 45 NCAA-surveyed programs.
A Boathouse Without Walls, and Institutional Backing
Rather than operating out of one of the historic clubhouses on nearby Boathouse Row, BLJ has built its presence along Kelly Drive and expanded into an indoor training studio at 4229 Ridge Avenue in the East Falls neighborhood, according to Discover East Falls. The indoor space offers ergometer workouts, strength training, and yoga alongside the group's outdoor rowing sessions. BLJ has also built academic ties across the region, teaching an Introduction to Rowing course for Temple University's Kinesiology Department as well as courses through Main Line School Night and Chester County Night School.
The organization has drawn support from major names in and around the sport. In 2021, Philadelphia native Kevin Hart and rowing technology company Hydrow gifted BLJ two custom racing shells built by Hudson Boat Works to expand youth access on the river. A year earlier, BLJ received a $12,000 grant from a joint initiative led by the Gold Cup of Philadelphia and the Head of the Charles Regatta to fund rowing access in under-resourced urban communities.
Part of a Wider Push to Diversify Crew
BLJ's work fits into a broader, still-unfolding shift in a sport with a long history of exclusion. Along Boathouse Row, Black representation was rare until late in the 20th century; John Izzard became one of the first Black members of an established Schuylkill Navy club when he joined Undine Barge Club in 1974. USRowing's 2024 Belonging Survey, published in May 2025, reported a 208 percent increase in members feeling a sense of belonging with the national governing body compared to 2022, following expanded equity initiatives.
That momentum has also reached collegiate rowing. In January 2025, Xavier University of Louisiana announced the creation of the nation's first varsity-level rowing program at a Historically Black College or University, set to begin for the 2025-26 academic year, with Johnson providing coaching guidance and support during its launch. Philadelphia's Schuylkill River remains one of the sport's most visible stages nationally, hosting the Stotesbury Cup Regatta each spring, which Hoodline has previously covered on Kelly Drive. For Johnson, the work of getting more kids like Thomas onto that same river remains ongoing.
