Learning To Skate
With Melanin Gals N Pals
Three months after moving to London, Marie started Skate Gals n Pals. It was a way to build up a community of skaters who related to one another, who could learn in their own way and at their own speed, helping one another along the way. The collective has gone on to travel Europe, run workshops, take part in exhibitions, fundraise and document their skating journey along the way. With wellbeing at the heart of what they do, Marie is redefining contemporary skating culture and placing marginalised skaters front and centre.
Interview by Esta Maffrett | 02.11.22
What came first, your love for cameras or skateboards?
Cameras definitely. I was into selling cameras from as young as I can remember and I was very into taking pictures. I remember the first time I went to the US, I went to the Ivory Coast maybe when I was 7 and I had this disposable camera then every time I would go on summer camp I would have my disposable camera and then I got a little point and shoot camera. Then it became digital and I got a DSLR camera but I would love going to the flea markets in Paris and buying some cameras for like one euro just to play around with them. When I was young I wasn’t really making the link between buying a camera and using it, I just wanted to buy it because it was cool. When I got my DSLR camera I was shooting my friends and doing photo shoots, I was really into it and then my first proper film camera was when I fell in love with it and I'm still in love.
So when you got into skateboarding it felt natural to photograph it?
Yeah. I guess I was just photographing stuff and I don’t think I was photographing skateboarding that much, I wish I was doing it more. But because skateboarding is an activity where you have to be super mindful I was just really into it and sometimes it was hard to remember to capture the moment. When I created my skate collective I just really wanted to remember that time in history, when diversity came into skating, and it became proper archiving for me. When I created Melanin Gals & Pals and Skate Gals & Pals and when I applied for my PhD I just realised that there was such an important part of the data that I wanted to use because it’s proof that this was happening at this time and I was part of this movement. I think it’s so easy for people to not be represented and when you look back at the skateboarding archives you really do not see diversity at all, you have like two famous non male skaters that are known for being skaters and when people talk about them it’s always the same two pictures. So yeah for me it was just important to be able to give future generations a history reference. Showing that we were in this space and occupying this space.
Even mainstream media are not doing this type of archiving. It’s all about representation I think and in the emergence of movements in history it’s just so much nicer when things are documented. Especially in queer communities as well, this is something that is so important for me, capturing the queer community, the skate community and making sure there is a trace of us in history.
What was your own experience of alienation from skateparks or finding them to be male dominated?
I don’t think that we’re all alienated from the skate community because I still believe it’s a community that is extremely welcoming and you can totally be comfortable if you are different than the skate community. That’s why skateboarding is so good because it’s such an individual sport that whoever you are, people don’t care really, you can be anyone but you’re a skater at the end of the day and people appreciate you for that.
Unfortunately there’s also a complete blind eye to the fact that we are all different. So that means spaces, we need spaces that are going to be safe for everyone. I think we’ve suspected that there isn’t enough attention given to the most marginalized to make sure the space is made really good for them and also make sure that they’re represented and given opportunities. Sometimes at the beginning I just wanted to go and skate with people of marginalized genders because the way we learn is different from the ways the boys are learning. When a ramp is gonna be like seven times your size and you really want to jump into it, having someone there saying ‘you can totally do it’ and ‘i’ll be on the other side’, I really appreciate that. When I’m with more reckless people I did some crazy things but I also wanted to find some people that I relate to and have a slower approach to skating so that’s when I created Skating Gals n Pals. I just wanted to hang out with people I could relate to.
I think lately and especially with the Olympics where you see no guys actually qualified, it was only women and mostly white women as well, it made me think wow this is an opportunity for us to actually challenge the landscape. The lack of institution, framework and structure around skating makes it a very very tangible activity and now is the moment we can do that. Let’s try and make it as inclusive as we can so no one is gatekeeping in the long run and we all get the best from it.
Wellbeing is very important for you and your collective, obviously sports is a massive part of this but what are some other ways you support the wellbeing of people in your collective?
Well definitely sport is a massive part of it but well being comes a lot through community. As a form of employment for me it has given so much stability in this crazy capitalist, white supremacist society. During winter we can’t really escape, so for me it was important to create a space where people could still have a community to engage with during winter. I know that skating is something that bring us together but it is not the first factor, it is first that we can just be together. So I designed winter workshops, we were commissioned by UK Black Pride to design workshops that gave people a range of options to do during winter. I had one reading group facilitated by people from the collective that I could pay. We had a series on employability and pushing people to dig in and ask what do they want, what part do they want to play in their community and how do they want their creativity to be outputted in the employment world. Then we’ve got some rollerskating sessions, some with trips organised. I think combining play and learning is the best way to give people in our collective the tools to emancipate themselves. And I think a lot about skill sharing and social capital because we see financial capital as a way of wellbeing and then health but social capital is something I really like tapping into.
Also on our group chat we are always there for each other. Whenever someone is a victim of bigotry we are always open on our group chat to talk about it and make sure we can educate each other and talk about it in different spaces. Another way to do wellbeing is offering sober spaces for adults to meet up and have fun. So I think for me wellbeing goes through sports, physical, mental wellbeing and then playfulness, engaging in creative activities and having fun.
"Also on our group chat we are always there for each other. Whenever someone is a victim of bigotry we are always open on our group chat to talk about it and make sure we can educate each other and talk about it in different spaces."
What are some lessons you’ve learnt from starting a collective?
So so many like you can do anything in this world. I think we all need to be very mindful of our privileges and how especially as marginalised people we are aware of them. It’s so important for me to look at my privileges and know how to use them for the benefit of my community. I’ve learnt that people do not want to be racist and a lot of people are willing to work with you if you are putting yourself out there. I’ve learnt that I have ADHD, I really had to self analyse my capacity to not over work and not go crazy. The community aspect has really taught me alot, both personal lessons and community and financial. There’s so much free money in the world! People should just go for it like it’s crazy how much you can get from institutions and funders. There’s also how much you can get from your community in terms of plugs and creativity. Everyday i’m learning how to create a sustainable community and a grassroot project, just going with the flow of things happening has been really fun.
You hosted a zine workshop at the Museum in one of our old pop up spaces. How did it go and do you plan to do anymore in the future?
We got a grant to basically produce a book zine type of thing that would be printed and sold. At the time you had a location and I thought of it because when I was applying to loads of grants, I was doing loads just so I could learn how to write them, I was thinking it would be really interesting to do a showcase of the collective as a collaborative project. The zine workshop was a great way to get people to sit down and create something creatively as a collective and individuals. We had discussions and everyone presented their work. It’s a way as well to create employment opportunities because we hire people to facilitate and we can take our community to explore different spaces in London. I got feedback that it really helped a lot of people finding friends because London can be really lonely. When you’re lonely you tend not to go to a lot of spaces so workshops are an opportunity to open our community to new places that are for them and they can make the most of.
What is in the future for Melanin Gals n Pals?
We are going to be celebrating Black History Month and blackness in general. Then we are going to start our winter season with a series of workshops delivered in different spaces in London such as LGBT Centre, South Bank and more. From November to April we are really hoping to organise escape trips. So if you are black or a person of colour please come and join our workshops and any public events.
If you could put one object into the Museum of Youth Culture what would it be and why?
I’m thinking a skateboard to be honest. A skateboard is just anarchy. When you have a skateboard you can be whoever you want and the skateboard is going to overtake the whole person that you are. People are going to see you on your skateboard and it’s so empowering. It’s very hard to structure and contain a skateboard and I think it is a way that people were able to explore so much creativity, so much fashion and even archiving in terms of taking videos and pictures. So many communities have flourished, not only in the western world but looking at countries in Africa they are starting out skate communities. So just with a wooden piece with wheels you can really be free, have a sense of freedom. So I would put a skateboard and then explain it like that.
