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When we think of surfing, words like ‘carefree’ and ‘laidback’ might be the ones that first come to mind. While Brown Girl Surf are certainly all about that, they are also focused on dismantling the barriers to coastal access that stem from deep-rooted colonialism and racial injustice.
Based around San Francisco, California, and with a staff and volunteer base made up primarily of women and gender expansive people of colour, Brown Girl Surf are working hard to make sure everyone feels represented within the surfing community. Their newbie programme offers those new to surfing the chance to join a welcoming community, while their Soul Surfer programme encourages folks from different age ranges and backgrounds to come together, build connections and develop their surf skills. These two programmes are complemented by a surf summer school for those aged from 9-18 years old.
Naturally, with an inclusive, positive group based at the coast, a strong strand of their identity is tied to cultivating a sense of interconnectedness and care for the earth, both on an emotional level and through the actions they take to protect it. They organise regular beach clean-ups as well as conducting stewardship projects and nature education to teach others about the land they are standing on.
One of the main aims of the organisation is ensuring equitable access to oceans and coasts. In 2022, Brown Girl Surf joined the Ocean Justice Forum - a coalition of 18 grassroots and national nonprofit organisations who are working to advance ocean policy agenda. In the US, only 10% of the coastline is covered by strong legal protections that ensure equitable public access. The remaining 90% could be taken from the public by private landowners or building developers. Of course, this is not just an American issue. Google ‘beach access worldwide’ and the top results are not about public right of way, but about the ‘Best Properties with Beach Access’, ‘11 Secluded Resorts You Need to Know About’ and ‘Top 15 Private Beach Hotels Around the World’.
Christine Toppin-Allahar, an attorney based in Barbados, says in her paper on ‘Socio-economic Disparity and Islanders’ Rights of Access to the Coast in a Tourist Paradise’:
“Since World War II, and particularly since the Cuban revolution in 1960, beach-oriented tourism has become the leading economic activity in most Caribbean countries. Competition for coastal resources has generally been resolved in favour of foreign currency, transferring much coastal property to foreign ownership and increasingly shutting off the local population’s access to the sea. As the majority of foreign investors and tourists are white, this also has racial connotations.”
Brown Girl Surf are well aware of this situation. As well as fighting for access, they also know that Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) in coastal communities have been disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, including rising sea levels and intensifying storms, as well as by pollution, overfishing, and loss of habitat and biodiversity. Their role in creating the Ocean Justice policy platform is to make sure that systematically marginalised and harmed communities will no longer be deliberately left out of the decisions and actions that directly affect them and their relationship with the ocean.
