How Skydiving Changed My Life: Black Diamonds Filled the Sky
Above: Mekki Wilson takes a break on the ground with his mom between jumps with Fresh Heir Adventures teammates.
From small, as his Trinidadian grandfather would say, our youngest had been my adventurer. Nevertheless, I was unprepared when our son announced his decision to skydive for his 24th birthday. This is my wild child, and he generously invited me to jump alongside him. I pondered briefly before saying no—not out of fear, but because of my certainty that jumping out of a plane was never my dream. Trust me, more than one of my long-term friends, including a college mate and licensed skydiver of 40 years, had already tried to convince me to join them. Undeterred, he forged ahead. One year and over 100 jumps later, he’s a skydiver and packer, pursuing a C license and a rigger’s ticket. I never imagined then where he’d be now, but I am proud.
His father, who lived a life of calculated risks (just not of this type), was quietly amazed. Overcoming his initial shock, he shared videos with his closest friends. It brought them closer, a father recognizing the adult where his little boy once stood, making “grown man” decisions and forging an independent path. So off he wandered, traversing the world in pursuit of the raw, intense freedom of the sky. Admittedly, Mama was a little salty when he chose Invasion Boogie at Skydive Sebastian in Florida over Christmas.
Imagine my surprise when, during a check-in (a routine he established between us when he first began jumping and for which I am eternally grateful), he mentioned some new friends he’d made. That was the first I heard of Fresh Heir Adventures.
A clinical therapist and medical social worker, Willis Cooks of Fresh Heir Adventures made his first jump in 2019. By his own account, he’d often echoed what many jumpers say before their first time, and what l said that first weekend at a drop zone when someone asked me if I was planning to parachute: “Why on earth would I willingly jump out of a perfectly good airplane?”
Fresh Heir jumps in part to honor the proud legacies of the Tuskeegee Airmen and the U.S. Army Parachute Infantry Battalion known as the “Triple Nickles,” both of which are famous for their all-black membership. But since Cooks first had the idea for the group, while still a newly licensed skydiver, it exists primarily to help black skydivers connect and provide a sense of community between them.
Representation matters, and it is statistically correct that African Americans in the skydiving world are far and few between. But we raised our children understanding that as descendants of kidnapped Africans, Middle Passage survivors who steadfastly refused to die, we belong everywhere we plant our feet. Reinforced by seeing ourselves in the faces of others—everyone, regardless of which ethnicity, age, gender or walk of life we come from—we show up.
In just three years, Fresh Heir Adventures has grown to an active roster of 147 members, increasing from nine attendees at its first event at Skydive Sebastian in 2022, to 46 attendees at its most recent event at Skydive Spaceland-Houston in Rosharon, Texas, this summer.
The organization describes its vision as “… to fill the skies with black excellence by building a visible, vibrant and safe community where melanated adventurers thrive. We unite to uplift, mentor and inspire through safety, skill and culture. Supporting each other’s growth, celebrating our heritage and representing our culture until our presence in adventure is not a surprise, but an expectation.”
It’s a rare thing for parents to be spirited away by their children. But this July, my youngest treated me to a special weekend, to witness black diamonds dance in clear skies.
I spent the weekend at Skydive Spaceland-Houston, looking up. Between jumps, I watched, photographed and connected with a community of exceptional athletes—accomplished, experienced professionals whose resumes and backstories rival any you might meet at professional or academic conferences. Entrepreneurs, doctors, nurses, educators, chefs, accountants; you name it. My mama’s heart was proud. I’ve now attended my first boogie, and I see myself attending again. The kinship I experienced, which extended beyond the Fresh Heir crew to everyone I met at the DZ, was something my son had often talked about. It was a community of high achievers brought together by something they loved. Whatever might have separated them elsewhere did not exist there.
My husband and I have always invested deeply in our children’s interests, as a way to draw us closer. I was a dance mom, a sports mom, attending concerts and recitals because when it mattered to them, it mattered to us. Now grown and well into building their lives, it still matters.
I guess this means I’ll be heading back to Houston for Fresh Heir Boogie 2026, or wherever we’re going next, camera in hand. I loved the way jumpers found themselves in front of my DSLR like excited little kids after landing, walking past me and back into the hangar. I’m now a jump mom or GoGo (as my family calls me) to several dozen new kinfolk; I joyfully claim them all.
Just when you think life has nothing else to teach, the lessons begin anew.
And, while I did not parachute out of a plane, I took the co-pilot’s seat for one of my son’s loads. When asked if I wanted to go up, I reached for my phone, silently read my morning devotion, and smiled, saying, “Yes.” If you’re going to trust God, you just do. The peace I felt during our check-ins on the days of my son’s daredevil dives was the peace I felt as he added my name to the manifest.
We do now, and always have, belong wherever we go, including among the clouds. So, find me, same time next year, on or around World Skydiving Day, with my son and all of my collected black diamonds, building community in freefall, uniting in the skies, elevating on the ground and always reflecting the greatness that is our shared cultural legacy.
Even earthbound grown folks like me.
For more information on Fresh Heir Adventures, contact Willis Cooks at williscooks@yahoo.com.
Chelle Carter-Wilson
Montclair, New Jersey