Finding Your Space in Skating by G (@g_sliiidez)

There is no one method to finding where you fit in. Whether it be in the workspace, in another person's life, or in a sport like skating. As a Black woman, one of the things that I struggled with early on in the resurgence of my skate journey was being able to fit in with my white counterparts who skate. To give you a bit of background, I grew up skating at Skate Depot, and when it closed, I was devastated. Being that was one of the few places where I, a Black woman in LA, could skate with people who were just like me (Black and looking to escape the pressures of an unaccepting society). With the closure of the world and countless Black lives constantly being taken at the hands of the police, I found refuge in skating. However, skating during a quarantine has been hard!

The popularization of Tik Tok rollerskaters and Instagram skate girls in their cute outfits has massively contributed to the whitening of skating. Thus the erasure of the Black communities' history of skating. It has also contributed to many Black women asking, “Where do I fit in?”

Many of us created Instagram accounts to document our progress and also to find other women of color that we can bond with. Instagram algorithms and censorship of prominent Black skaters like @lilyskatesalot has led us to create our own spaces where we can find content with women that look like us. @bipocwhoskate, @black_girls_skate, @blackskatealliance, @castingblackskaters, and @blackspincraft are just a few of the spaces that have been created to connect skaters of color to one another and amplify that WE MATTER! But offline, in the real world, we are left to design our own spaces of inclusivity. This is why I write this. Now by no means am I an expert on how to create a space that YOU fit in, but I can tell you some of the things that have helped me.

To begin with, be yourself. You are a beautiful human with the capacity to do anything that you choose. If you are not accepted in one space, I promise you, there is another that is carved specifically for you and if not, carve your own space! Make sure to implement self-care outside of skating. Stretch, take bubble baths, go to the beach, be in nature. Do things that make you happy! Keep an open mind and an open heart. It allows you growth even during moments of uncertainty. Create a safe space for yourself where you can be your most authentic self. I mean this both mentally and in the real world because we live in a time where tragedy is around the corner. It is also important to develop a support system. Be around people who make you feel good and send positive energy your way. But the most important thing is remembering to be kind to yourself. There are enough things working against you in the world, so there is no need to be another. Lastly, make sure to uplift others. You never know what your kindness will do for the next person.

There are some days where it will be hard and you will want to give up, but in the grand scheme of things you matter, and even if you have to create a space specifically for yourself there are others who need your space and your strength. So before you go off into the real world and redefine spaces I’d like to say thank you. Thank you for picking another person up. Thank you for your strength. Thank you for being open to trying something different when the world sees you as the same. Thank you for being the Queen that you want to be instead of the sheep following an outdated set of rules. And thank you for breaking free of the box that society has placed you in. Do not compare yourself to another person, or another skater for that matter. Their journey is not the same as yours. And it is okay that you do not look like Ana Coto when you skate or any other Instagram/Tik Tok famous person. It is YOU that we want to see. It is your progress, your light, and your love for what you do, and that is why I write this.

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