It’s a story that not only seeks to heal the wounds from the past, but inspire future generations to redefine their narrative moving forward. Sea Us Now presents a different reality, one that asks what would have happened had the ocean been accessible to everyone. These restrictions applied to many public beaches and swimming pools, and as a result, many Black communities struggled to develop a relationship with the ocean. During this period, racial discrimination barred Black Americans from congregating in predominantly White spaces. When you take off the rose-tinted glasses, you start to notice the less glamorous aspects of the ‘50s, like segregation. From a quick glance, it was quite the time to be a surfer, but this romanticized view doesn’t tell the full story. The beaches were less crowded, and when the surf was firing no one seemed to care about ditching work a little early to catch a good swell. Women rejected the domestic norms of the 40s, and instead gracefully surfed on the waves, ultimately inspiring the iconic movie Gidget. It was a time when vintage station wagons with surfboards lined the beaches in Malibu, California. For many older surfers, these were the good ol' days. The film takes the audience back to the 1950s a period hallmarked as the “Golden Age” of surfing. This past June, they premiered their most ambitious project yet, a short film called Sea Us Now. RELATED: 'Pedal Through' Highlights Black Joy and Healing on Two Wheels Together they launched the surf collective Textured Waves in 2019, aiming to create a surf community for women of color and underrepresented demographics through storytelling, events, and sisterhood. Inspired by their newfound community, the women found themselves eager to do more. They bonded over their shared experiences and the desire to share their love for the ocean with more people like themselves. Tired of feeling like a unicorn, these women sought each other out by means of social media, and became lifelong friends when they met up for a surf vacation. For each of them, it was rare to spot another Black female surfer in the lineup when they first started surfing. Despite all living thousands of miles apart-San Diego, Jacksonville Beach, Santa Cruz, and Honolulu,-these complete strangers all bonded over being African American female surfers. There's this special thing called "sea-sterhood." Chelsea Woody, Danielle Black Lyons, Gigi Lucas, and Martina Duran first coined the term on a surf meetup together to describe their sisterly camaraderie. Textured Waves is a surf collective aiming to create a surf community for women of color and underrepresented demographics. Wash the mask after every use.This week in Women in the Ocean, we sat down with surfer and co-founder of Textured Waves Chelsea Woody.
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