Look up: 100 daredevils of color plan epic jump for World Skydiving Day

Black skydivers are finding community around the world and making sure they’ll be counted among the record-setting crowd for the first-ever World Skydiving Day.

Willis Cooks, a therapist and medical social worker, completed his first skydive in 2019.

“I felt as if I would pass out in the middle of the skydive,” Cooks recalled.

But he couldn’t let go of the excitement. Within seven months he earned his skydiving license.

Willis Cooks waits for the plane before jumping.Courtesy Willis Cooks.He also quickly realized he seldom saw other Black people at the drop zones. So in 2020, he started Fresh Heir Boogie, an Instagram chat for skydivers of color. Now, it’s an annual event.

This year, more than 100 Boogie skydivers are expected to join hundreds of others to celebrate the first-ever World Skydiving Day on July 13. It’s a chance for first-time and veteran skydivers around the globe to become a part of history, as jumpers will receive certificates for their participation in the most skydives in one day.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-skydivers-world-day-2024-rcna161389

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