The Afro-Punk Lifestyle of Black Skater Chicks

I was listening to my iPod the other day, and the song Kick Push by Lupe Fiasco came on.  I absolutely love that jam.  The song is about the life of a skater yearning for an oasis to coast.  The lyrics of the song got me to thinking about the lives of Black skaters.  I personally don't know of any Black skaters in my community, but I know that there are a large number of them out there that exist.  Just like there are a large number of nerdy black girls.

I decided to watch the video, and noticed out of the male-dominated sport of skating, there was only one girl represented in the video.  I started to wonder, how many black skater chicks are out there?  Do they exist?  And if so, how many are there?

First let's start with some black girl skaters who have already made noise on the Internet.  On the popular website Afro Punk, there is a feature on Beatrice Domond.  A self-declared black skater chick.  There is also a short film of her exhibiting her best skating techniques and methods and she's not afraid to fall off the board a few times to perfect her craft:

Then there is Richie P., she has created the blog Black Skater Chick.  This blog is about her own personal experiences as an experienced skater and she highlights other black women who are invested in the skater girl community.  Her mission is to breakdown stereotypes of women of African and African-American descent and show the world there are a culture of women like herself who love to skate and take it serious as an art form and not just a hobby.

Many of the girls represented on Richie's site are also into other extreme sports like Roller Derby and Surfing.  Check out another video of Christiana Smith who is affiliated with the Girls Riders Organization.  A team designed to inspire, educate, and support girls through action sports.





There is a progressive movement among young women who choose to set aside the social norms of being dainty and fashion-conscious, and instead be themselves by choosing to invest in extreme sports and becoming members of organizations and websites that help promote the Black Skater Chick philosophy and mission.  I hope to see more skater chicks like this in music videos, TV shows, and films.  I would love to see a documentary on women like this.  If anyone out there has more information to share about the black skater chick movement, please feel free to remark your feedback in the comments below or shoot me an email and I would love to publish a story about you or your organization!