Skateboarding seeks to flip its image of whiteness

At a Houston skate park, talented skateboarder Dallis Thompson says his father-in-law often asks him why he chooses a "white boys' sport" over something like basketball. "I'm like why?" says the 33 year old, "It's not a white sport, you know what I mean. There's Hispanic people that do it, Asian people." Back in September 2020, Thrasher, the iconic skateboarding magazine, confronted a historic image of whiteness in the sport by putting 32 Black skaters its cover. The cover had no headline, it let the portraits speak for themselves. The message was clear: the skating community must highlight its members of color.