Based on true events, Pride tells the story of Jim Ellis, a charismatic schoolteacher in the 1970s who changed lives forever by founding and coaching an African-American swim team in one of Philadelphia's roughest neighborhoods.

The year is 1973, and Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard), a college-educated African-American, can't find a job. Driven by his love of competitive swimming, Jim refurbishes an abandoned recreational pool in a down-at-its-heels Philadelphia neighborhood with the help of its custodian Elston (Bernie Mac). But when the pool is marked for demolition, Jim fights back - by starting the city's first African-American swim team. Recruiting teens from the streets, Jim struggles to transform a motley team of novices into capable swimmers - all in time for the upcoming state championships. But as racism, violence and an unsympathetic city official threaten to tear the team apart, Jim must do everything he can to convince his swimmers that victory, both in and out of the pool, is within their reach.