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October 14, 2021
Breaking Waves: Race & Inclusivity
Breaking Waves: Race and Inclusivity | Surf | VANS
Vans Surf proudly presents a new episode of Breaking Waves, the latest project from Vans pro surfer and Weird Waves host Dylan Graves, exploring how surfing can be more inclusive. In light of the ongoing Black Lives Matter racial justice movement, Dylan and producer Dave Malcolm take a deeper look at surfing’s history with racial inclusion, gaining diverse perspectives on how surfing can evolve to become not just inclusive to all, but anti-racist.
Breaking Waves was created to shine a light on often overlooked and polarizing social issues and topics within surfing. In this episode, Dylan and the crew do just that, speaking with well-known surf industry commentator and activist Selema Masekala, as well as Los Angeles-based surf and arts collective Black Sand Surf co-founder Justin “Brick” Howze, Color the Water Foundation co-founder David Malana, Textured Waves co-founder Danielle Black Lyons, professional surfer and 2015 WSL World Champion Adriano De Souza and CT surfer Yago Dora.
The surfing community gathered earlier this year in Manhattan Beach, California, for a Black Sand Peace Paddle, after an incident where Black Sand co-founder Howze was verbally attacked while surfing based on his race.
“There are things that happen in the water that are really horrible like what brought us out here today, but there is also a whole set of microaggressions that amount to people of color feeling like they don’t belong,” Color the Water Foundation’s Malana said from the Peace Paddle. “We are trying to shift that, and show people that they do belong, they don’t have to adhere to a culture that’s not designed for them. They can carve out their own culture and their own lane, and we can build the culture into something more communal.”
With that in mind, Dylan speaks with WSL Champion De Souza about Brazilian surfing and how De Souza and several other pro surfers like Felipe Toledo, Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira have reshaped surfing as we know it today. Yet often, Brazilian surfers do not get the credit they deserve—and even worse, have at times become the subject of microaggressions from the surf community.
The episode amplifies the urgent need for consistent, ongoing transparent conversations and open-minded listening as crucial first steps and catalysts to shifting mindsets on these often-unexamined topics within surfing.
Earlier this year, Breaking Waves highlighted the Queer surf community in an episode dedicated to learning more and understanding the experience of LGBTQ+ surfers. The episode delves into how the overall surf community can put aside stereotypical perceptions and become better allies focused on creating safe spaces for people to be their authentic selves at the beach.
To learn more about the organizations featured in this episode, visit BlackSandSurf.com, ColorTheWater.org, and TexturedWaves.com.