Written by: Isaiah Lawrence
For a very long time, while I loved sports and the community they offer, it was difficult to find a collaborative community that I liked. I played football. I ran track, and I even had short stints doing aikido and other martial arts. But the community that I have immersed myself in the most, and that I have invested time, energy, money, tears and effort into, has been skateboarding.
As a Black skateboarder, I still take time to find and educate myself on the history of Black skateboarding. A staple Black-owned brand in the skate community is DGK, which specializes in skateboards and skate fashion. At first glance, its name seems quite baffling because it’s an acronym for “Dirty Ghetto Kids.”
The backstory is that young Stevie Williams entered a skate photography contest in the mid-’90s at age 11.. When the photographer saw Stevie and his friends, he labeled them “Dirty Ghetto Kids.” Instead of allowing those hateful words to tear them down, they. used it to fuel their company motto, which says, “DGK is for those who come from nothing. It represents turning a negative into a positive and making something out of nothing against all odds.”
Today, DGK is listed as one of the most authentic skateboarding brands by the skate community and is known for how it invests in young skaters and the communities where they live. Brands such as DGK — or my personal favorite: SBB, Scary But Beautiful — use their talent and creativity to uplift positive values and, in some cases, the power of the love of God.
Black History Month isn’t a reminder to simply give Black history “a nod” and move on, it’s a time to reflect on the efforts of those before us who fought and worked and sacrificed so much to be included in the same spaces as others, like DGK and the skateboarding community.
For me, skateboarding has been everything. It has taken me to places like Hawaii, where I am a student missionary right now, and it has helped me make friends and be a part of this huge community.
Culturally, there are differences within skateboarding, since specific kinds of tricks are commonly learned by Black skaters and celebrated by that community. This constant blend of cultures has allowed me to gain an understanding of where people come from and the history of how skating as a sport has developed in their communities. I learn more about other cultures everywhere I skate.
Black History Month shouldn’t be filled with hatred or comparison, but rather, an acknowledgment of the struggle and a celebration of the contributions of the Black community to American history and American culture.
