Earth Day Finale: Tony Corley, Head of Black Surfing Association
Tony Corley 1966
Yes Virginia, there are black surfers. Few people (including myself) know about the long rich legacy of black surfers in the United States. The excellent film, White Wash, educated me about the history of not only black surfers, but also the history of black people's engagement with our nation's shores. Bigotry, segregation, and racialized policies that limited black people's access to the beach, paint only a part of the picture that makes up the story of black surfers.
Our final guest in the ITYC Radio Earth Day series, Tony Corley, is a huge part of surfing history and the organization he founded, The Black Surfing Association, has created an international community of black surfers. We talked to Tony about his life of surfing and his thoughts about the environment and why surfers are the natural stewards of our oceans. He also discussed another important surfing film, in which he appeared, called 12 Miles North, which tells the story of Nick Gabaldon, the first African American surfer. (Note: Gabaldon was of black and Mexican heritage)
Tony today
You can listen to our entire conversation with Tony here and on iTunes. Thanks to Tony and to all of our guests who helped ITYC celebrate Earth Day this April.
