For a newbie, skateboarding is a risky activity that many steer clear of. Whether it’s the constant bruises or broken bones that come with joyriding, skaters are used to getting the speed needed to pull off a trick that seems impossible. It’s a lifestyle built on paved roads that many practice to feel visible, and skateboarding is a sport that many love.
However, as pariahs who have banded together to swim against the tide, these individuals often feel most comfortable in the niche communities they maintain for themselves. Many skaters who explored the adventure of skateboarding with their friends as children have gone on to create influential careers within the hyper-cultural zeitgeist of streetwear, music, and art.
Skating requires a lot of skill and hundreds of hours of practice, but it is now an Olympic discipline, first recognized at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Skating used to be a subculture, but today the global recognition of this pastime has opened up horizons for many beginners who push their boards across the asphalt to achieve.
In the early 2000s, innovative black artists took over the skateboarding scene with their creative contributions to the blog era. Pharrell Williams, formerly known as Skateboard P, developed N*E*R*D and then popular skateboard brands Billionaire Boys Club & Ice Cream and BAPE. Shortly after, Los Angeles-based outsider collective OddFuture (Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Syd) ushered in a new, younger wave of skaters who were rawer and more authentic – like it or not. Skating was the confident vehicle that gave birth to some of the strongest voices in music and fashion.
“I work so hard, traveling all over the world to introduce skateboarding to as many people as possible,” LA-based skater Briana King tells me. After being dissuaded from skateboarding several times, King was rescued by a tight-knit group of black skaters who welcomed her into their community. “So many people are interested and a little nervous about getting into skateboarding, so the Olympics putting skateboarding in the spotlight will make it a lot more comfortable for people to get involved,” she says.
King is a strong voice and advocate for supporting homeless skaters by getting them into safer communities and environments where they can thrive. She has donated over 1,000 boards to skaters worldwide: “Skateboarding is for everyone, and we’re always going to be the oddballs. It’s so cool that it’s always going to attract the weirdest people, and we all come together to be weird together.”
Photo courtesy: Briana King Instagram
In 2013, Ishod Wair competed in the Super Crown World Championships, finishing third overall. Since then, he has been considered one of the driving forces in street skateboarding and was the first African-American to win Thrasher Magazine‘s Skater Of The Year award. The New Jersey native and pro skateboarder thanks skating for saving him. “The black community really loves skating,” he says. “I felt like it was a lot different 15 or 20 years ago, but we love this shit, man, and people are willing to kill themselves for skating.”
Skate culture has evolved significantly, with music and fashion playing a crucial role in its spread and mass appeal. The influence of hip hop, punk rock and electronic music has helped shape the rebellious and creative spirit of the skate community, making it more inclusive and diverse. Streetwear brands and collaborations with high-end fashion brands have brought the aesthetic of skating into the mainstream, lending further legitimacy to the culture.
As a result, younger generations are finding new ways to express themselves through skating, combining it with their unique style and musical tastes. This fusion of music, fashion and skating creates a vibrant, evolving culture that continues to resonate with and inspire the next generation. Fashion and music creatives Dashawn Jordan and Mateo Berry both started skating in middle school. Jordan began competing full-time at a young age, receiving support from Nike and others. He is a musician who still skates and co-owns a skate shop in Phoenix, Arizona. “When I started, skating was predominantly a white sport,” Jordan says. “I tell everyone now that the direction and the culture is changing. I just want to continue to inspire.”
Mateo Berry started riding his board on the asphalt at the age of 12. Today, years later, Berry is a creative consultant, fashion designer and visual artist whose pieces have been worn by many great artists and who contributes to modern skate culture through his design. “When I became a teenager, I fell in love with fashion because skateboarding allowed me to express myself and express myself freely,” says Berry. “Skateboarding was an inspiration for fashion for decades and shaped me.”
Skating is a fearless sport that can be a gateway for many black athletes and innovators. Through the daily effort and the thick skin that inevitably grows while skating (and surely falling to the concrete at least once), the sport builds strong spirits and a community of people who don’t succumb to failure, but are inspired by it. Through the experiences of these black skaters in the past, the DNA of skate culture is what produces some of the best black athletes in the Olympics, and the world of skating, once niche, has taken the world by storm.
