*Little is known about the history of racial segregation in beach towns across the U.S. But Miami New Times reports of a surf collective called Textured Waves that wants to change that.
Founded in 2019, the group aims to be a voice for Black women and other marginalized people who feel underrepresented in the predominantly white and male surf community. The group’s latest project, ROOTS, documents and showcases beaches with historical significance to the African-American community.
“I started in Florida because that’s where I was born and raised,” says Textured Waves co-founder Martina Duran, who is from Miami.
Duran started the collective with Lucas, a Tampa native, and California surfers Chelsea Woody and Danielle Black Lyons after the four women found each other on Instagram. For them, the ocean has distinctly feminine energy.
“We innately feel this deep connection, and we know this space is ours,” they say in a recent Instagram video. “This is what Textured Waves is about.”
Textured Waves appears in “Sea Us Now,” a short film inspired by African American beach culture and vintage surf culture. Click the video below to watch the trailer on Vimeo, and check out a roundtable discussion about the film with members of the group, below.
Sea Us Now Trailer from The Seea on Vimeo.
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