Black History

Belinda Bennett: Diversity at the Helm on the High Seas

Published

4 years ago

November 19, 2020

Kiki

Cruise ships have always hired women in areas of passenger services. Positions on the bridge, however, were never even considered. Windstar Cruises, LLC, which operates a fleet of small luxury cruise ships, has set an example of true diversity with Belinda Bennett serving as the first Black woman cruise ship captain on the MSC Wind Star.

Bennett, 45, is a British citizen and resides in Southampton, U.K. Her maiden voyage as captain was on Jan. 30, 2016, with 102 international crew aboard the 148-passenger Wind Star cruising in the Caribbean, according to the company’s web site.

But her path to the helm was not without resistance.

During a 2019 interview with Forbes, Bennett said that she’d had a “rough start.” When training as a cadet in South Tyneside (located in Northeast England), she sailed with chief officers “who made me work harder than the other guys … work later than the sailors. So, they would knock off for the day, and I would be left outside continuing to work until it got dark. It really was a make-or-break-you time, and me being me, I refused to be broken.”

It was an experience she described to Travel Age West as “a culture shock.” On entering the academy, Bennett admitted that she was naïve to racism.

Some 70-plus men and five women comprised Bennett’s class. “Some of those in charge were determined to break us,” she said. She would later become the only woman to complete the course and enter the maritime industry.

She briefly served as chief officer for private charter yacht SS Delphine, and Isle of Man Steam Packet ferries. But the yacht industry wasn’t ready to embrace diversity.

Bennett told Forbes that after completing her master’s degree, she was “sat down by an agent in Antibes and told that finding a job in the yachting industry would be very hard

because of three things: (1) I had a higher education than most captains at the time; (2) I was a woman; (3) I was Black.”

Originally from the island of St. Helena (located in the South Atlantic between South America and Africa), Bennett developed a love for the ocean and spent most of her time on the water.

In fact, the only way off St. Helena at that time was by ship. By age 17, she worked on the RMS St. Helena. It was the only ship supporting the island, Bennett said, adding: “That’s when my adventures started.”

Bennett never allowed others to impede her success or redirect her goals. “I am a very strong woman,” she said. “Being a woman, you have to work extra hard to prove yourself; even more than a man. Some men might not like that … I wanted to be captain, and so, I am.”

Bennett joined Windstar Cruises as Second Officer at the Port of Monaco in September 2005, according to the company’s web site. Over her more than 13-year career, she has worked on a variety of Windstar ships, progressing to chief officer and now captain.

In 2018, Bennett was awarded the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service.

Kiki

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Black History

From Louisville to the Olympics: The Legacy of William DeHart Hubbard

William DeHart Hubbard, born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a trailblazing figure in American sports history. Hubbard grew up in Cincinnati. While attending Walnut Hills High School he excelled in academics and athletics. This earned him a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1921, where he studied in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. In college, he quickly made a name for himself as an exceptional track and field athlete.

Published

7 days ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

William DeHart Hubbard made history in 1924 when Hubbard made Olympic history by winning the Gold Medal in the long jump. Public Domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

William DeHart Hubbard, born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a trailblazing figure in American sports history.

Hubbard grew up in Cincinnati. While attending Walnut Hills High School he excelled in academics and athletics. This earned him a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1921, where he studied in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. In college, he quickly made a name for himself as an exceptional track and field athlete.

Hubbard was the only African American on the school’s track team; he was also the first African American varsity track letterman at the university. In his college career, Hubbard won several meets including being a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion, eight-time Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) champion, and seven-time Big Ten Conference champion in track and field. His 1925 outdoor long jump of 25 feet 10¹⁄₂ inches stood as the Michigan Wolverines team record until 1980, and it is still second. His 1925 jump of 25 feet 3.5 inches stood as a Big Ten Championships record until Jesse Owens broke it in 1935 with what is now the current record of 26 feet 8.25 inches.

In 1924, he was selected to represent the United States at the Paris Summer Olympics.

Competing against some of the best athletes in the world, Hubbard made history by winning the gold medal in the long jump by jumping 24 feet 5.5 inches. This victory made him the first African American to win an individual gold medal in the history of the modern Olympic Games.

In 1925, Hubbard broke the long jump world record with a leap of 25 feet 10⁷⁄₈ inches at the NCAA championships. In 1927, he bettered that with a jump of 26 feet 2.25 inches — which would have been the first ever over 26 feet — but meet officials disallowed it, claiming that the take-off board was an inch higher than the surface of the landing pit. He also competed in the hurdles at the 1926 AAU championships. He graduated with honors in 1927.

He specialized in the long jump, a sport that would soon bring him international fame.

Hubbard’s Olympic success was not just a personal triumph but a milestone for African Americans in sports. His victory challenged the prevailing stereotypes of the time and inspired a generation of Black athletes to pursue their dreams in the face of adversity.

After his Olympic success, he continued to excel in track and field. He set an additional world record in 1925 with a jump of 25 feet 10.75 inches, which stood for several years. His accomplishments were not limited to athletics, as he also became involved in civic and business endeavors after his graduation from the University of Michigan in 1927.

Following his athletic career, Hubbard returned to his hometown of Cincinnati, where he took on various roles serving his community and the progress of African Americans. He worked as a manager for the Department of Colored Work for the Cincinnati Public Recreation Commission and later became a race relations adviser for the Federal Housing Administration.

Hubbard passed away on June 23, 1976. As the first African American to win an individual Gold Medal in the Olympics, he not only paved the way for future generations of athletes but also demonstrated the profound impact that sports can have on societal change.