- [Host Voiceover] Meet Lizelle Jackson, Joi Madison,
and David Malana,
all surfers who started an organization
called Color the Water.
- [Host] So what is Color the Water?
- Color the Water is a surf community
where we offer free lessons
for Black and Indigenous people of color
to have access to the ocean,
learn how to surf, have a good time.
- [Host] That sounds real good right now.
- It's a hot day.
- It is a hot day.
A good day to jump into the free pool
that is the Pacific ocean.
(all laughing)
- Ready? - Yes.
- [David] Let's go.
- [Host] This feels so cool.
We're like the surf gang.
- [Joi] Wait until the rest of the crew gets here.
- What's up. - How's it going?
- [Host Voiceover] I can't help but notice
the four of us draw a lot of eyeballs.
- Being up in the parking lot
and walking through with our surfboards, people turn heads.
They're not used to seeing
people that look like us out here.
You're so used to seeing the Californian surfer,
blonde, tan, thin.
So for us to be able to share
that with people that have the same identity is huge.
- Yeah.
(upbeat music)
- [Host Voiceover] That LA surfer stereotype is a far cry
from the very first surfers, thousands of years ago.
- Who were the original surfers?
- The popular opinion is that it's from Hawaii,
but people were riding waves in Peru,
Micronesia, Melanesia,
all these people of color were riding waves
and in harmony with nature.
- [Host Voiceover] It was the Polynesians
who brought surfing to Hawaii
when they migrated there in the fourth century.
Surfing didn't take off in Southern California
until the 1960s.
But these days,
the surfboard is practically a registered trademark for LA.
And surfing's origins in communities of color
are all but wiped out.
- Why does it matter to you,
the image of surfing in LA?
- Because oftentimes it's presented as a privilege
to live oceanside and to have access all that.
Like it's a luxury.
What I access when I enjoy surfing, I think is a birthright.
- [Host Voiceover] Oceanside access
is fiercely guarded turf in some parts of LA.
Many of the best spots are claimed by groups
who've been known to throw rocks, slash tires,
and physically threaten outsiders
just looking to catch a wave.
People of color have often faced the worst
of that harassment.
But it was another act of racism in 2020
that inspired David to start Color the Water.
- We were all reeling after the murder of George Floyd.
So I caught notice of a paddle out in Santa Monica.
- What's a paddle out?
- A paddle out is a ceremony that is originated
in the Hawaiian culture,
(waves crashing)
where if someone dies,
then everyone will paddle out,
form a circle, just,
a reverence and a moment of silence.
And so there was a paddle out organized
on behalf of George Floyd.
I attended.
(shell blowing)
- Say his name! - George Floyd!
- A couple things became apparent.
One is that the surf community is predominantly white,
and two, the disparity of the levels of surfing
and water comfort were so wide.
And for me, someone who's enjoyed surfing
for almost 20 years, I realized right then, wow,
I've put these blinders on to enjoy this.
And so maybe there's a way that I can shift that.
That's how Color the Water started.
As of today,
we're just a little under 500 people
that want to learn and help and contribute in some way.
- [Host Voiceover] But even when you find your people,
there can still be questions of fitting in.
- Does my whole body go in there?
- [Host Voiceover] Like, how am I supposed to fit in
to this wetsuit?
- Oh, okay.
If you say so.
(emotional piano music)
Oh, got it over the booty.
Okay, yeah, that's better.
- [Host Voiceover] Now that I'm suited up,
it's time to get my point break on.
(water sloshing)
- [Host] Surfing, what do you get from it?
What does it do for you?
- To ride energy that is completely natural
and that you have to be there for
as it's breathing its last breath
is just a really profound experience.
- For me, it is an opportunity
to connect with a deepest part of me
that is inaccessible anywhere else on the planet.
- The ocean's just a place of calm
and it's humbling being out there.
- [Host Voiceover] Humbling is the perfect word
for what's happening right now.
My larger board should make it easier to balance, in theory.
Provided, of course, that I ever do catch a wave.
(water sloshing)
(waves crashing)
(emotional piano music)
(surfers cheering)
- Thank you.
Aw man.
That felt like it lasted forever and not at all.
Thank you.
Thank you, Pacific Ocean.
That's my boo right there.
And just when I had said to myself,
I don't care if I get up on the board or not,
Lizelle gave me the shove I needed.
That loving shove to help me catch that weight.
I've never been in the ocean
with that many Black people in my life.
Feeling surrounded by love?
Can I go that far?
I think I can.
I felt this embrace from the ocean.
Maybe it was the squeeziness of the wetsuit,
but also this community of people around me.
And I felt really held up and really supported.
Not just by the surfboard, but by the people.
(emotional piano music)
Thanks for watching!
Do you want more America Outdoors?
Then check out our playlist,
full episodes head to the PBS Video app,
or PBS.org.
You're welcome.
(theme music)