Devin Brown prepares for a historical voyage down the Mississippi River

Devin Brown says she loves feeling the burn as she paddles through the water.

Story and photos by Azhae’la Hanson, Reporter

Devin Brown's love for the Mississippi River started with lakes and the patient hands of a mother who taught her to swim.

"Because I had her, I knew I could trust the water," she said.

In her 20s came the epiphany. While on a kayaking expedition in the Gulf of Maine, Brown took in the rush of fresh air. Her rhythmic breaths mirrored the cadence of her paddle that sliced through the water. Her battle with the relentless current served as a metaphorical struggle: a dance with nature's forces that reflects her quest for inner peace. Amidst the serenade of mourning doves and the playful splashes of fish, Brown's arms bear the burden of life's tribulations, making each stroke a symphony that lures her into a trance-like state.

"I found myself in a kayak," Brown said. "I found healing energy and different depths of myself on the water. In that moment. And so I knew that I had to always figure out how to integrate that
moment into my life."

Driven by her newfound passion, Devin Brown left her hometown in New Jersey to live in North Minneapolis because of its proximity to the Mississippi River.

Her decision marked the commencement of a transformative chapter, one on which she hopes to make history.

Next spring, Brown will attempt to become the first Black woman in the United States to kayak the entire length of the Mississippi River. Her odyssey will span a staggering 2,340 miles, from the river's headwaters in Itasca, Minnesota, to where it ends at the Gulf of Mexico in New Orleans. Those who make this trip call it Source to Sea.

Brown unloads her kayak for a paddle on the Mississippi.

While delving deeper into the sport of kayaking in her early days in Minnesota, Brown encountered a stark reality: being a Black person on the water presented unique challenges. Often the solitary person of color on the river and, in some instances, the sole woman, Brown faced obstacles that transcended the river's currents. She recalled her initial struggles to secure employment from boat rental businesses, simply due to her identity as a Black woman. Even today, she occasionally endures unsettling glares from onlookers when she launches her boat.

During a fateful race in June, while navigating through a narrow residential area before the river opened up, Brown encountered a defining moment. As she tuned out the world to the soothing sounds of the passing water, a derogatory remark from the shore pierced the serenity.

In a moment that struck her at her most vulnerable, a man had called her the N-word.

"To have that be said to me was a reminder that there's no walls, no boundaries, nothing when I'm on the water,” she said. “It hit me when my defenses were down."

In the face of isolation and racism in the sport, Brown was called to undertake the Source to Sea journey. It is a testament to her own determination, the Black community, and her ancestral ties to water, acknowledging the historical trauma and struggles that have marked the presence of water within Black communities.

Most importantly, because of her own experiences, she wants people of color to join her.

Brown teaches paddling techniques to new kayakers at Mississippi Regional Park. Brown partners with Mississippi Park Connection to teach kayaking classes to people of color.

Outside of her full time job, Brown partners with the Mississippi Park Connection to offer kayaking classes tailored to Black and Brown people. Her goal is to introduce more individuals who look like her to the joy of water sports, hoping her travel plans inspire others to follow suit.

"Here we come whether you like it or not," she smiles.

During one of her paddles, two 70-year- old women joined her on the water for the first time in their lives. The two women informed Brown afterward that they’ll be attending a four-day kayaking trip in the coming months.

During another paddle, first time paddlers could be heard speaking their reservations about entering the river.

“I joined looking for a safe space,” said a new paddler.

“Black people and water don’t mix,” said another.

“Black and Indigenous people have fought for their lives up this river,” Brown said. “And water is healing. It’s so important that we reclaim this water after so much trauma.”

To prepare for the trip, Brown routinely engages in hot yoga and strength training.

Brown sees her trip as a profound homage to the ancestral ties that bind her and countless others to the life-giving river. Over centuries, the Mississippi has bore witness to the movement of enslaved people as merchandise and those seeking freedom. Brown aims to honor these stories as she paddles through the Deep South.

“As I paddle, I want to unlock those stories, hopefully my presence will be a testament to how far we’ve come,” she said.

Paddling the second-longest river in North America is no small feat. Brown is determined to complete the journey in 2.5 months, paddling a minimum of 30 miles a day, amounting to grueling 8-12-hour paddling days, while camping near the shore at night.

By day, Brown is a massage therapist. She stopped behind the counter to help ease some pain ailing the staff of Heal, her favorite neighborhood restaurant.

Unlike most Minnesotans, Brown is hoping for an abundance of snow in Minnesota this winter to aid her journey as she rides the melting waters downriver, when Spring comes in 2024.

To aid her mission, Brown is holding a fundraiser on Oct. 6 to cover the expenses of her journey. The funds will contribute to her safety, potentially involving someone following her along the river, and enabling her mother and young son (aged 6) to drive alongside the shoreline during her trip.

Come spring, she invites fellow adventurers to join her in floating down the waters of Minnesota, sending her off on her attempt to make history with support and camaraderie.

To the community of North Minneapolis and anyone inspired, Brown extends this open invitation: “Join me on the water!”

Brown will travel down the Mississippi in the spring when the water is high. The river touches 10 states, with its widest point stretching 11 miles across, and its narrowest at only 30 feet.