BLACK SKATER CHICK's Top 5 Snow Day Movie Picks

Hey BSC Family, I know a lot of you on the East Coast are enjoying the blizzard. Here's some skating, snowboarding and surfing movies to check out over the weekend snow day.

1. Getting Nowhere Faster (2004)- The ultimate classic all girl skateboarding movie and one my favorites.  
Featuring: Amy Caron, Vanessa Torres,Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, Alex White, Kenna Gallagher, Faye Jaime, Lauren Mollica, Van Nguyen, Elizabeth Nitu, Nugget, Stefanie Thomas,Patiane Frietas & Lauren Perkins



2.  White Wash (2011)- The documentary discusses the intersection of surfing, race and identity through the experiences of black surfers from the  continental US, Hawaii, Mexico and Jamaica. Available for only $1.99 on AmazonVideo. 

Featuring: Many surfers including, Andrea Kabwasa and Sal Masekela 



3. 12 Miles North: The Nick Gabaldon Story- Another documentary about surfing and race, 12 miles North describes the life of Nick Gabaldon, the first documented surfer African-American and Mexican descent.


4. Too Hard (2012)- The sickest women in snowboarding shred it out on the mountains. 

Featuring: Gabby Maiden (the first African-American woman of competitive snowboarding), Danyale Patterson, Fancy Rutherford, Darrah Reid-McClean, Desiree Melancon, Joanie Robichaud,Madison Blackley, Merry Raid, Taylor Elliot, Alice Gorton, Alexa McCarty, Marie-Andree Racine, Joelle “JJ” Juchli,  Marie Hucal, Gillian Andrewshenko, Vanessa Moore, Sara Berdayes, Luci Imbach, and Jesse Huege.




5. Faces of Africa : Surfers Not Street Children (2015)- The documentary follows the life of Ntando Msibi, 18, who through the charity, Surfers Not Street Children, becomes a surfing star while overcoming the negative issues of growing up as kid living on the streets of South Africa. 






BLACK SURFER CHICK: Haben Girma, Surfer & 1st Deafblind Harvard Law Graduate


Haben Girma, 35, is the first deaf-blind Harvard Law Graduate and an avid surfer. Haben was introduced to the sport through the sub-genre of tandem surfing. The Encyclopedia of Surfing defines tandem surfing as “any two people riding the same board at once." Originating in Hawaii during the early 1900s, tandem surfing involves a tall surfer (usually a man) lifting a shorter surfer (a woman) over his/her head in different positions. Both surfers must balance on the surfboard while shifting into poses and contortions reminiscent of yoga and gymnastics. 

Check out Haben Tandem Surfing!


In a local interview at Swami's Beach in Encinitas, California, Haben said: “Surfing is fun for me because it's nice to be out in the ocean. The ocean is huge! And the ocean is symbolic of all the possibilities out there“(CB8, 2013). Haben’s life is also symbolic of the many possibilities available when one wants to succeed in a society where people with disabilities face discrimination. Born to Eritrean refugees, she had the opportunity to attend schools tailored to people with disabilities (which was not available to deaf-blind children in Eritrea) and she excelled in her studies, going on to attend Harvard Law School (NPR, 2015).In 2015, Haben introduced President Obama at the White House Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Also, in 2013, she was awarded as the White House Champion for Change. Presently, a disability civil rights attorney, Haben works to advocate for others with deaf-blindness and the use of technology as a way to help them communicate.

(Girma, 2016)

Haben describes surfing as learning another way to communicate without the technology she uses daily (a digital Braille device) that is not compatible in water. She said, “I’ve been preparing for surf lessons by thinking about all the different ways people can communicate without using their voices or using hearing or vision,' she said. 'So thinking about tactile ways to communicate different surfing position, getting familiar with surfboards and getting familiar with the surf communicate' (DailyMail, 2016).

(JETTYGIRL,2016)
Haben has conquered many turbulent waves in her life and now surfs over the undulations, literally. She defines success as emerging through trial and error: “Success comes about through lots of failure and I’m not afraid to fall. I’m not afraid to get in the water, try something new, look silly for a little bit” (Washington Post, 2016).


Check out Habena surfing at Surf Diva School!








Haben's fearless attitude has not only helped her to excel in the field of law but also in surfing. She also enjoys kayaking and rock-climbing. It is a testament to her success today.

 What excuses do you have? Get out there and surf! I am so inspired by Haben's story. It also presents another discussion about disability within the skateboarding and action sports community. 

 Lets Give Haben a Shout Out!

 Follow Her on Twitter: @HabenGirma

 Check out these videos to learn more about Haben’s life and her advocacy:




Andrea Kabwasa, BLACK SURFER CHICK

It seems like the surfers are coming out in droves (*haha*).Don't worry skateboarders, sit tight, there will be more skater chicks coming to you soon! Here is a story about Andrea Kabwasa, a BLACK SURFER CHICK whose surfing journey became a remedy for overcoming abuse.



Source:Liquid Magazine,2011

I noticed Andrea Kabwasa while watching the documentary Whitewash. Andrea, a teacher and artist, started surfing at the age of 32. In an interview with Liquid Magazine , Andrea expresses how surfing changed her life. She recollects her first time on a surfboard saying, "...I do, how­ever, remem­ber how I felt afterwards—happy. I had for­got­ten what that felt like, to be truly happy with­out a care in the world (even if it was only for an hour). Need­less to say, I was hooked." Her  addiction to surfing has also been therapeutic in overcoming the effects of an abusive relationship, she said "...surf­ing is hap­pi­ness, love and self-empowerment. The act of inter­act­ing with water cleansed my inner spirit. Before surf­ing, the lens from which I viewed life was pretty dirty. I was filled with low self-worth and, at times, I made some pretty self-destructive choices. Surf­ing redi­rected that energy in a pos­i­tive direc­tion. When I surf, I feel beau­ti­ful. I’m a start­ing to feel beau­ti­ful on dry land too now." The impact that surfing had in tranforming her life is remarkable. Surfing has also influenced Andrea's art. Art, being her chosen form of expression since her young adult years, Andrea's art has shifted from a sad emotional sentiment to "mind surfing on canvas." She now paints her surf dreams and views of paradise. Andrea admires the surfing styles of Derek Hynd, Tyler War­ren, Jimmy Gam­boa, Julie Cox, Joel Tudor and Kevin Connelly. Her favorite surf spot is Scor­pion Bay, Surfrider Beach and Saladitas in California.

I love what Andrea's outlook on happiness: "hap­pi­ness is those rare moments when you are so com­pletely locked in, that you feel like you are danc­ing in har­mony with life itself. Each wave has a dif­fer­ent rhythm and a dif­fer­ent dance. I like wave-dancing. It makes me happy."

Check out one of Andrea's paintings.

Source: Liquid Magazine,2011


Read more of Andrea's interview in Liquid Magazine.


Andrea Kabwasa's story is one of empowerment for women in abusive relationships and I commend her for speaking out about her experience. 




“Whitewash,” Documentary on the Black Experience in Surfing

I would like to send out a special Thank You to @Bertstyle and our friends at Brown Girls Surf for sharing information on the documentary Whitewash. A few weeks ago I posted an article about "12 Miles North: The Nick Gabaldon Story." Whitewash is another documentary expanding on the black experience in surfing.


Source:Whitewash,2011



Whitewash explores the African-American experience and race in surfing. It touches on some pertinent issues about how the history of surfing was detached from it’s indigenous Hawaiian origins and largely regarded as having it’s founding or “discovery” with European settlers. It also focuses on the issues of segregation and racism at beaches in California and of how the belief that “black people can’t swim” was passed down from generation to generation. 

One section of the documentary that really stuck out was the story of an English sea captain’s account of seeing young Ghanian boys “riding waves on wooden boards” on the Gold Coast of Ghana in the 17th century. Ironically, this was the same coast where the slave trade later occurred. As the slave trade expanded, many Africans in costal regions moved inland, which could suggest why “aquatic culture” greatly diminished. In the 1960’s, two American surfers would later be documented “introducing” surfing to Ghanaians in the film “The Endless Summer.” Well “reintroducing.” 

Whitewash is definitely an eye opener for individuals in the black community, who believe that sports like surfing is a “white thing.” Although one’s interest in a sport should not be associated with race it is still a factor. Though as surfer Andrea Kabwasa noted “When you’re riding a wave there is no race.” 

Whitewash is now available to watch for free Hulu,check it out below!



I encourage you to watch this documentary and please share your thoughts. One point that this documentary projected was the fact that so much of our history has been written from one perspective. We should be recording our own stories,history and culture so it is not distorted. The documentary also featured  the founder of  Brooklyn Surfer, a company and surfing community in Brooklyn, New York. Guess what my fellow New Yorkers? You don't need to go on the West Coast to surf.