Black Girls Skate: Celebrating Equity and Community Through Social Media, Stickers, and Skate Pop-Ups
When DJ Gooden, founder of Black Girls Skate first learned about professional skater Samarria Brevard, the first Black woman to medal in the X Games, and Stephanie Person, a professional skateboarder since the 80s, they were shocked.
“I never heard of these Black women, and at this point, I had been skating for over two decades. I was like, ‘where’s the equity?’ I gotta go and tell the world about this.”
Gooden took to Instagram and started sharing everything they found, which eventually led to the creation of Black Girls Skate (BGS), an ever-evolving nonprofit dedicated to creating equity, awareness, and visibility for Black skaters, with a specific focus on Black women, women of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We represent those communities because they have been historically marginalized, [but] our events are open to all abilities, all identities, and all skill levels.”
MakeStickers had the opportunity to meet with DJ Gooden, along with BGS team members Shaunie Walker and Mia Vesely, to discuss all things skate: how they got their start in skating, their skate styles of choice, their perfect skate day, where BGS is headed in the future, and of course — how stickers are playing a part in making skating accessible and equitable for all.
First things first — what type of skaters are you?
DJ: I am a Mongo goofy skateboarder. Sometimes people see me skating and think I’m riding switch, but no, I am a mongo pusher and I’m not ashamed. I am trying to learn how to quad skate as well.
Shaunie: I’m a quad skater, but would like to learn to skateboard.
Mia: I’ve only ever skateboarded, but I wanna learn to roller skate and ice skate.
How did you get into skating and get involved with BGS?
DJ: After seeing [An Extremely] Goofy Movie when I was younger, me and my sister begged my mom for skates and a skateboard. One day, our landlord came over to fix something, and he saw us struggling to ride the skateboard. He had one of those big, metal toolboxes, and a full head of gray hair and said, ‘Let me show y’all how to ride the skateboard.’ He hopped on the skateboard with his toolbox, rode it to the end of the driveway effortlessly, waited for us to come and grab it, hopped in his truck and drove away, super cool. And I was like, ‘I wanna be able to ride a skateboard like that when I get his age.’ Never put it down after that. (DJ went on to found BGS in 2019.)
Shaunie: I started skating to combat anxiety and depression — just trying to create some new habits. From the time I started skating, I was in love. I would look for tutorials, trying to find the right skate gear, and didn’t see anybody who looked like me, and sometimes my questions were geared towards people of color. I just decided [to] Google ‘black girls skating’ — and that’s literally what came up. I’m really happy to be a part of the team and push this initiative.
Mia: I began skateboarding during the pandemic, as a means of going outside. It was really fun. I was like, ‘I wanna see people who look like me skating’ because I didn’t really know anyone who was Black and skated. I went to Instagram and found Black Girls Skate and thought, ‘Okay, this is so cool, [learning] from people who look like me.’ I’m really happy to be here and work towards promoting that equity.
What do you love about the BGS mission?
DJ: I want any type of skater to see any form of skating and feel that’s available to them. It doesn’t matter your identity, your ability — any of that. I want it to be accessible.
Shaunie: The biggest benefit to me is it feels good to know I’m doing something good and it’s not for profit. We just wanna share this feeling with other people. I love that.
Mia: One of the beauties of Black Girls Skate is that it’s online, so anyone anywhere can tap into the network and see someone who looks like them and feel part of that community. People everywhere can see themselves presented in a sport they like.
How do the BGS pop-up events work?
DJ: We get there early to clean up and identify any safety issues. We set up, check in our guests, and make sure [they’ve] signed a skate waiver. We always have some type of music, even if it’s just one of us playing a playlist. Instructors [provide] different types of teaching (along with a focus on yoga, stretching, or mental health power tools to put in our tool bag). We do a group photo, care box dissemination, and a raffle.
Once we complete the raffle and free skating, we encourage all participants to help clean up the park or space. We always wanna leave the space better than we found it. We also like walking around, telling people, ‘Exchange contact information so you can skate after this moment!’ [We] like encouraging participants to get to know each other and follow each other on social media so they can link up and skate [together] at a later date.
Each year we try to hit new cities. We’ve yet to hit 10 cities, but it is a goal. This year we’re gonna do six cities: Phoenix, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.
What goes into the care boxes?
DJ: Depending on what the skaters in that community need, [we try to include] a first aid kit, and this year we’re adding mouthguards and a safety whistle. We also [include] cool swag from our sponsors (pens, lunch bags, wristbands, etc.), magazines, posters, stickers, skate tools, wax, and merchandise.
Speaking of stickers, how do they tie into the mission of BGS?
DJ: If you go into a Zoomies or any type of skate shop — it’s rare [to] see stickers with any type of representation for people or women of color. Our stickers represent that extra diversity. A skater can be anyone. Skater stickers in the skate community should be the same.
Why did you choose MakeStickers?
DJ: We need stickers in bulk and we need ’em fast, efficient, and at an equitable price. MakeStickers was able to provide all of that for us, and the shipping time is immaculate.
When you’re ordering stickers, what factors do you consider?
DJ: If it’s going on the bottom of a skateboard and it’s a new skater, that sticker may last for a while, but if it’s a grinder, they may need more than one sticker (laughs). We think about what’s an equitable price [so] we can give skaters more than one sticker, and not make a skater pick. They can get more stickers and now have this cool sticker in multiple places.
Where have you seen BGS stickers?
DJ: Helmets, water bottles, in-lines, restaurants — I’ve gone into a restaurant in Atlanta [with] a sticker wall and was like, ‘Wait, this is one of our stickers!’
Let’s talk in-depth skating for a minute — what does training look like for each of you?
DJ: I spend a lot of time watching other skaters. I take a DIY approach — ‘Okay, I just saw that. Let me see if I can do it. Okay, I can’t do it. All right. Lemme see if someone has documented the steps online.’ Try to find something on YouTube or an experienced skater and ask them if they would mind helping me.
Shaunie: I have a whole skating to-do list, so once I’ve conquered this step, I’ll try that one. Little dance routines and things of that nature. I even took it a step further by incorporating yoga because I am older and I was starting to worry about my hip. I went to physical therapy. It’s become more of a process because I have to do these little preliminary steps, in order for me to just stand up and not fall, you know what I mean? Like, I need yoga for that! (laugh)
Mia: Skating used to look so intimidating to me. [I’d wonder], ‘How do people even do this without hurting themselves? How do you fall correctly? How do I make sure that I’m being safe? What equipment?’ When I first started skating, I [had] knee pads, elbow pads, helmet — just to be in my driveway! But once you build the confidence, it’s not as scary anymore. You know how to fall, you know you’re gonna be okay. You know you can get up and you’re gonna be fine.
What tricks are you currently learning?
DJ: I’m working on a backside turn, which is where you turn across the bowl, but you’re looking up towards the sky and the bowl’s away from you. I’m working on it — hopefully, I’ll meet someone this year who can make it make sense for me.
Shaunie: Toe spins. I actually posted a video of all the times that I fell doing it because I still haven’t gotten it down yet. I can’t get past three spins. It’s a matter of really balancing yourself on your toes, bending, not looking down at the ground, back is straight, head is up — there’s a whole lot involved and I haven’t gotten it yet. I’m on my way, though. I’ll get there.
Mia: Working on ollies, like when you pop your board up? I can do it stationary, but moving scares me — I always fall or I can do it easier on grass.
Describe your perfect day of skating:
DJ: It’s early in the morning, you can hear the breeze. We just cleaned the skate park. It’s still pretty quiet. There’s not a lot of tourists, not a lot of traffic. It’s just the sound of skateboards and the ocean.
Shaunie: I found this great spot down the block from my work, so on my lunch breaks I’m there. The mall’s not really crowded. I get free reign and I get to have my camera up and practice my moves. But I’m looking forward to being able to do something like skating at Venice Beach.
Mia: My ideal day of skating would be skating around my neighborhood back home. Skating at sunrise and vibing with myself to some music. There’s a local coffee shop in my neighborhood — it’s like skating a bit, heading over there, getting a nice chai tea, maybe an omelet or some coffee cake — just relaxing and being with myself, and having that time in the morning to collect my thoughts and start my day in a peaceful way.
Finally, how does skating make you feel?
DJ: It’s so empowering. You just wanna share that with someone else. It’s contagious. Once that bug bites you, you’re like, ‘I need this bug to bite someone else.’
Shaunie: It’s exhilarating. It makes me feel young — like I can literally do anything.
Mia: It feels like it shouldn’t be humanly possible. It feels like flying, like when you think of your favorite action movie — it feels like that. I didn’t expect it to feel that way. It feels really freeing.
Collectively, as a team, what’s next for BGS?
DJ: Our newest initiative, our SK8R Portal, is a place where recruiters or talent agencies can go and post opportunities as well as look through all of our skaters who have signed up as professional actors, models, or instructors. Any person who signs into our portal can apply for any opportunity. Recently a news channel in Atlanta was looking for skaters, so we posted that opportunity and it was open to any skater. Sometimes companies reach out, like Vans, and they’ll ask, ‘Hey, we need someone to model this product for us. Do you have someone?’ ‘Yeah! What city are you looking for them in? Let’s see if we have someone.’
Hopefully, by the end of this year, we’ll have skaters represented in almost every major city around the US in our portal. I think that’s the most exciting thing for us — raising awareness about the platform, having people sign up, and using it to its full potential.
Finally, what do you want to say to people curious about BGS?
DJ: This is a safe space. If you’re curious, we would totally love for you to come out here and try this out with us, or you can just hang out and see what it’s all about.
Shaunie: Anybody can do this, and it’s worth giving it a shot. The enjoyment you’ll get from it is definitely worth the effort.
Mia: If you’re even slightly interested in skating — try it. Don’t be discouraged because you think, ‘Oh, I don’t see people who look like me who skate.’
There are Black girls who skate.
And you could be one, too. So give it a try.
Black Girls Skate’s pop-up tour skating events take place all around the country. Visit blackgirlsskate.org to learn dates and locations for future pop-ups, to join the BGS Sk8tr Portal, or donate financial support. You can also stay in the know with Black Girls Skate by following them on social media (@black_girls_skate on Instagram and Black Girls Skate on Facebook).
