SANTA MONICA, Calif. – SANTA MONICA, Calif.On a sliver of sand that before the Civil Rights era was derisively dubbed "The Ink Well" because of its popularity among black people, hundreds of surfers gathered to honor the life of George Floyd and other African Americans killed by police.
The occasion Friday was a paddle out, a Hawaiian tradition to celebrate a life and mourn its passing, organized by Black Girls Surf to share the pain they are feeling with devotees of a sport that has not always welcomed them.“This speaks so much more to people because if you think about black girls surfing in the ocean, people are like, 'Ha, ha, you don’t surf,’” Sayuri Blondt said.