As we honor Black History Month in February, it is fitting that we also honor Black sailors who have had sailing change their lives and who along the way made a difference in other people’s lives through sailing. Donald Lawson is just such a man. His story is on the US Sailing website.
From the moment he stepped behind the wheel of a sailboat, Donald Lawson knew he was destined to make sailing his career.Lawson doesn’t come from a “sailing family” – his parents were middle class Baltimoreans, great athletes in other sports like basketball and lacrosse. But at age nine, he got the chance to attend and go for his first sail through the Police Athletic League (PAL) aboard a 100-foot schooner. His mother convinced him it was safe and so he went for it. Read more.
