I was checking out roller skating books at Harold Washington Library, and there were very few black people in the few books I found. Bill Butler’s book is the only book that featured black people. Bill is black, by the way. The few books that did highlight black people showed them in the 1970s during the roller disco days. That is NOT when black people started skating, and if I had to rely on the information I found, I would be SOL.
What was worse than those roller skating books were the sports books that did not even acknowledge skating as a sport! What??? This is not looking to good.
When I just Googled roller skating images, there was only one image with black people. This is getting ridiculous.
Do you know what this means? It’s time for me to get busy and make those connections to make sure that our place in roller skating history is known. And to help change the color of those images in Google.
Ok, went through my stash and found a pic with Chocolate People.
To anyone reading this post who gets offended, please know that although I am trying to make light of this topic, I am highly perturbed. Imagine trying to find information relevant to your history only to know that you have been intentionally ignored. Actually, I know black people througout history have been ignored, but this is terrible.
Funny – that is how I found your blog – looking for images of people of color on skates. sigh.
A friend is holding a 25 year skating reunion in DC this summer and I was helping her create the blog http://skatereunion.blogspot.com . She’s still tied in with lots of skaters.
She directed me to http://www.skategroove.com – I guess they don’t tag or worry about SEO, because they have loads of pics that don’t show up in searches. There is also http://www.sk8photos.com/xoops/ out of Georgia.
I like what you are doing and if you ever decide to write about skaters of color, look me up at 22nd Century Press.
Thank you for stopping through and sharing resources. I have reached out to them and intend to utilize their resources in the near future. Please keep me abreast of the skating reunion, I’d like to attend. You are a blessing!
I was also looking for people of color on Google images and luckily I found the pic that you posted! I bookmarked your blog so I can read more of what you have been writing. Thanks for doing what you do.
Tim, thank you so much. I am researching black roller skaters for a project and I’ll be sharing information as I find it.
Hello Marcie
I’m the Chicago African American issues examiner. I just recently wrote an article where a I speak about the historical influence black people had on skating and bike riding. And why I’m surprised that more of us don’t get involved in these sports. Yes skating is a sport!!!(i wholeheartedly agree with you)
Here—>http://www.examiner.com/african-american-issues-in-chicago/blacks-outside-the-box-skates-and-bikes
I featured your blog in my article. It’s in a link towards the bottom of the article. I hope you enjoy it. Leave some feed back and tell me what you think.
Peace.
Also do you live in Chicago? You mentioned Harold Washington Library. I love going up there when I get some time.
(sorry if I posted this too many times, I’m not sure if I did it right, never commented on a blog before)
Check it out USAROLLERSPORTS.com I have two of the best skaters on the inline skates and quads they are National champions and well known in the skating world. They skate out of the Southern Region, this year they were voted Skaters of the year. They compete on quads creative solo dance, figures, loops and free style. They are sisters and believe it not twins. The majority of skaters I teach are of color. We also at the National level have Deryrek Jones a wonderful dance skater and a champion. I am the twins coach and most of my skaters are of color. I am Coach Caroline Mirelli of Memmphis, Tn. Come and see us The Memphis Figure Roller skating Club
Caroline, thank you for sharing that information. I will definitely be checking you out soon.