Kim O'Connell

From her home in Arlington, Virginia, less than a mile from the Potomac River, Kim O’Connell writes about history and nature for a range of national and regional publications.

In 1964, when a journalist asked Howard crew coach Stuart Law about the team’s last-place finishes, he just smiled and said, “We’re getting better all the time.”

Untold Stories of American History

The Barrier-Breaking Rowers of America's First All-Black Crew Team

At the height of the civil rights movement, Howard University's oarsmen held their own against rivals from established, largely white programs

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