Women of Color Surfing Oakland based surfers Marlim Reynosa and Madoka Hara in an intimate moment on Pacifica beach in California. “I find that so healing to physically touch the women that I love and care about. Because oftentimes in this world, as women, our bodies are robbed by society or by patriarchy. And our bodies are seen as just something to be objectified or owned. I never feel that with other women.” “Every time I go surf, I feel like the ocean always reflects my internal landscape. When I'm feeling chaotic inside, the ocean is like extra chaotic,” said Madoka Hara, a Japanese-American surfer living in Oakland, California. “Mentally, emotionally to dive head-first into that chaos and embrace your fear… it's taught me so much about learning how to trust in myself.” Brown Girl Surf participants and instructors holding hands as they enter the ocean for the first time for the day. The practice gives everyone a chance to set their expectations for their interaction with the ocean while holding on to others for support. The nonprofit organization strives to provide access for women and girls of color to surfing. They offer the necessary equipment and training at a sliding-scale price. “We are changing surf culture by reclaiming the spaces that we've been pushed away from, reshaping the image of what a surfer should look like, and retelling the story of women of color and the ocean," said Marlim Reynosa, program coordinator and lead surf instructor. A custom, handcrafted Juice Box surfboard and a “$200+ wet suit” are just a small part of the assets surfer Madoka Hara procured to attempt to claim a place in the lineup. “I’m so lucky that I have access to a car that I can use to go to the beach and I can afford to pay gas, and have the time,” Hara continued. “I went to college in Southern California where it was like the Mecca of surfing, and I always was curious about it, but… what I would see was white surfer bros with blonde hair. So when you just don't see yourself there, there's that emotional, mental barrier of, ‘Oh, well do I even belong in that culture, or that scene, or that world.’” “I’m a survivor of sexual assault. It’s happened multiple times, in college,” said Mexican-American surfer Olivia VanDamme. “The tattoo’s kind of a reminder that I'm not the only one, that I'm not alone in this life experience, that a lot of women experience sexual assault and rape… Instead of putting a period on your life or wanting to end your life, you can put a semicolon, you can pause, and you do have the resilience to keep going.” Suicide has affected my family and myself a lot... It's always going to be a part of my story,” said VanDamme. “A lot of what surfing is to me is healing.” A group of women of color scattered along the water on Pacifica beach in California. “One piece of what we're able to receive as a gift from the ocean is the washing away of pain, of grieving, of trauma, of anger, of tension, of things that we don't want to hold onto anymore… the ocean really helps amplify, and really helps accelerate that healing process, because of its power and its ability to really change our perspectives,” said Olivia VanDamme. Surfer Marlim Reynosa pops up on a wave on Mirada Surf Beach in Half Moon Bay. “It's like my entire body is flooded with serotonin and adrenaline,” Reynosa said. “Having to surrender to the power of the ocean immediately washes away any anxiety that I'm carrying.” Surfer Madoka Hara relaxes on Pacifica State Beach after a long day of surfing. “All the fighting that I do internally… being self-critical or judging myself or holding myself to an impossible standard… giving all of it out into the ocean and surfing, I have this moment where it's just like surrendering.” Surf instructor Jamila Hubbard encourages participant Soliver Ché Fusi during a Brown Girl Surf lesson on Mirada Surf Beach in Half Moon Bay. Surfer Madoka Hara after a mindfulness circle with other women of color on Pacifica State Beach. “That pressure to tame myself and my truth is gone,” said Hara. “I can be so free in every single way. Free in like honestly talking about what struggles I'm facing, but also free in like embracing my joy and celebrating myself.”
