Skateboarding and skateboarding-based social programs should always be safe spaces where everyone can thrive. Yet, we recognize that we operate within social and organizational systems that are larger than us. We recognize power relationships exist and we are mindful of how racism can take many forms, overt and covert or “micro”. We see it as our duty to put in the work to co-create spaces and areas of influence that are: welcoming, empowering, representative, and committed to racial equity for all individuals – particularly those who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC), and all racialized peoples that experience discrimination against their ethnicity or religion.

This Commitment recognizes that our security is linked to the safety of all oppressed people, and our shared joy and power is dependent on all of us working together to create a world free from xenophobia, racism, bigotry and associated systems of oppression. 

We know that the experiences and impact of color-based racism, cultural discrimination, colonialism and anti-Indigenous policies, antisemitism, and Islamophobia are interconnected, and that we can’t address one of these without addressing all of them. Racism can express itself differently in each context, and is experienced differently by each individual. We acknowledge that these experiences of racism are also impacted by the complex intersection between gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and faith.

AS SIGNATORIES:

We aim to actively provide pathways and establish spaces where all voices are heard, valued, and have support and access to resources to contribute fully to the skateboarding community. We also aim to support each other in the work of challenging systemic racism that may appear at our skateparks, in our media, in our organizational structures, in skate programs that we run, and in the skateboard industry.