"Hearing my trucks on metal is like therapy,” Ms. Olivieri said. [NYT]

July 30, 2016 10:26 AM

The Brujas are a crew of skateboarding women of color. "'There’s so little opportunity for young people of color in terms of jobs and education that we don’t feel like a part of this city,' Ms. Gil said. “Skating is a way to reclaim our freedom.'" These women meet regularly to skate and plan other community events.
posted by TwoStride (9 comments total)

Yasmeen Wilkerson, 18, was dubious when she was introduced to skateboarding through her boyfriend, but she soon recalibrated her priorities. “I dumped the guy but kept the skateboard,” she said with a grin.

Ha!
posted by Fizz at 10:39 AM on July 30, 2016 [6 favorites]

“Skater bros all think they’re rebels, but who are the real outsiders here?”

QFMFT
posted by batbat at 11:13 AM on July 30, 2016 [6 favorites]

It's arguable whether skateboarding as a whole is still a subculture, but even if so, subcultures will always have their own subcultures, in-groups, out-groups, and, further-still, weirdos (in only the most loving sense) who share only the sport. There is always an underground.

I love these stories (also: Skateistan), and as a white guy I want T-Shirts from all of them, but their existence always points to a dark side of a subculture not being inclusive.
posted by rhizome at 12:15 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]

Lest we forget that one of the legendary Z-Boys, largely credited with inventing modern skateboarding in the '70s, is a woman of colour.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:34 PM on July 30, 2016 [11 favorites]

I think pre-ollie skateboarding was more diverse because it was still pretty tightly connected to surfing.
posted by rhizome at 12:45 PM on July 30, 2016 [1 favorite]

Lest we forget that one of the legendary Z-Boys, largely credited with inventing modern skateboarding in the '70s, is a woman of colour.

And she looks really badass!
posted by Fizz at 1:36 PM on July 30, 2016 [6 favorites]

Indeed, the name “Brujas” — Spanish for “witches” — comes from the title of a 1986 video depicting women pushing men off their skateboards.

For anyone who didn't watch the video it is the most 1986 thing ever.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:10 AM on July 31, 2016 [2 favorites]

For more women's skateboarding action there are some great videos from XGames and the 2015 Street League Championships, which are awesome to watch (especially Lacey Baker's run).
posted by stinker at 4:40 AM on July 31, 2016

Hooray, TwoStride - thanks for posting this, I was coming here to do the same. :)
posted by hilaryjade at 10:32 AM on July 31, 2016 [1 favorite]