When Monarch Project announced its arrival just about a year ago, everyone was excited to see Leticia Bufoni and Sky Brown heading up the new brand. Some even thought (including us) that this would be a women’s skateboard brand/skate team. The team does consist of lots of ripping AMs, and for a while, they had 6-year-old Paige Tobin, the AU Instagram sensation on the AM team as well - which made it promising that they’d sign more non-traditional skaters.
But after seeing that Paige left Monarch recently for Ryan Sheckler’s Sandlot Times brand and is promoting his new “Smalls” line, we started wondering what other girls or womxn we’d see on the Monarch Project AM team.
We didn’t have to wait too long - today their new AM video “Hello” dropped, and the only female skateboarders featured in it are, (wait for it) Leticia and Sky. That’s right - the two Monarch Project co-founders. No other non-traditional skaters are featured in the “Hello” video.
We hope that with all the amazing skateboarders (of all ages) out there, we will see more of a balance in their team riders - because if two women with their combined skate power can’t change how skate teams look - we are left shaking our heads.
گفته می‌شود این فیلم در #شیراز گرفته شده. اگر درست باشد باید بگوییم شما حضرات خودتان را با هر چی زور زدن و وعده بهشت دادن و ملت اویزان کردن برای #روسری جرواجر کردید، نسل جدید به پاشنه کفشش هم نگرفته است. دم همه شماها گرم که با زندگی کردن تان #مبارزه می کنید. #جمهوری‌اسلامیpic.twitter.com/bDXr1OdMPf
We are feeling for our skate sisters in Iran right now with this awful news that came to light after Go Skateboarding Day…
Iranian state media reported Friday that authorities detained five female skateboarders and the organizers of the Go Skateboarding Day event where dozens of teenagers mixed freely and girls didn't wear headscarves. Both are a no-no under Islamic law, but usually, in larger cities, people look the other way - unfortunately not this time.
A video posted on Twitter of the “Go Skateboarding Day” event that took place on the main street in the city of Shiraz went viral on social media, prompting anger among conservative religious authorities in a country where the wearing of a Muslim hijab is mandatory for all women and teenage girls.
The state TV report said the provincial judiciary was looking into the event, while the state-run IRNA news agency reported that a rally to oppose Western-style gatherings of teenagers would be held after Friday prayers in Shiraz.
Iranian law bans women over the age of 9 from appearing in public without covering their hair with a hijab — a strict dress code imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Many have publicly criticized the restrictions and a large number of the females in the video were not wearing headscarves. In recent years, Iranian adolescents have repeatedly challenged the regime's efforts to control various aspects of social life.
To know more about Islam law and better understand how they want Westerns to feel about it please read
Kraft Sports + Entertainment and KAGR hosted the “Equal Play” event at Gillette Stadium to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. The event was headlined by tennis icon Billie Jean King and moderated by award-winning sports journalist Jackie MacMullan as they highlight the importance of women in sports.
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX here are some things you should know.
The legislation was enacted in 1972 and prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs. It is credited with promoting gender equity in sports and advancing opportunities for millions of American women since then.
But as Billie Jean King has pointed out, the primary beneficiaries of Title IX have been white suburban girls. She pointed to girls of color, girls with disabilities, trans athletes, and all LGBTQ+ youth when she spoke of re-energizing 'focus on strengthening and advancing equity and opportunity for all girls and women.
Listen and learn.
BTW - did you catch Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word team rider, Minna Stess, on The Players’ Tribune Instagram speaking about Title IX today? If you missed it, we’ve got it right here. Pretty cool!
We absolutely love what Quell Skateboarding is all about - meet-ups, a magazine, podcasts, and more, so we were thrilled that they asked our founder, OG pro skateboarder Cindy Whitehead, to be a guest on their Quell Party podcast.
And even better was that the episode with Cindy launched on Women's Equality Day!
Give it a listen to hear Cindy's stories about women's skateboarding in the '70s and let Quell know what you think by leaving them a (5 star - please!) rating!
This past week has left us feeling angry, hurt, and saddened about the underlying issues of our society, especially when it comes to abuse to the Black community via the police force. Protests are continuing in cities nationwide in the memory of George Floyd and so many others, to demand change. We know a lot of you have participated - which we love and we hope you will continue to do so wherever you can - this fight is not over until radical change happens in this country.
Make sure you also get registered to vote, study the candidates in every position, and vote! We can not express how important this is, your voice needs to be heard from the local level all the way up to the White House.
We posted links on our previous piece on where you can donate to organizations like Black Lives Matter, ACLU, Unicorn Riot, NAACP, and more - we hope you will spend some time checking them out and donating if you can.
During this time, we've decided to also educate ourselves on how we all can help each other right here in skateboarding.
To start, we'd like to acknowledge and recognize our Black Female Skate Community by promoting Female Black-Owned skateboard movements and businesses.
We’ve put together a list of people, brands and movements we know and love, as well as suggestions from you guys.
Whether you chose to follow on Instagram, order a product, or donate time/funds to a movement - we encourage you to explore this list and support these women - not just today, but every day.
Skateboarding has been predominately white males for decades - our aim has been to see more women skateboarding and now we need to take it even further and be specific about helping to encourage and amplify the voices of color in our own community.
Are we missing some of your favorite people, brands, or movements?
Let us know by contacting us via our Instagram page @girlisnota4letterword Make send you send us a DM - we read them!!
PROPER GNAR has been on the scene for five years now. They are based out of Dayton, Ohio but the owner and artist, Latosha, can and will ship everywhere via their online site which is chock full of skate decks with her own powerful graphics, apparel, stickers, and more. "I felt that women don't get the same amount of pay or sponsorships, and I wanted to create that change," says Latosha.
The brand got its start because Latosha is super into fashion, and is also an illustration artist, so she combined those assets with her love with skateboarding (15 years worth) and Proper Gnar was born.
To provide an understanding of how things are starting to change in skateboarding Latosha had this to share:
"I just want to say how proud I am of the skate community and how far it has all come. I was initially nervous about posting and sharing some things because the last time I did I got some negative, racist feedback. This time around the support has been overwhelming, and I really appreciate that.
When I first started skating Elissa Steamer was the only woman skater I knew. When I’d go to the park, guys would not only question my gender skating but also my color. Now there are so many of us out there and I love to see it."
Skateboarder and model, BRIANA KING has been encouraging girls to get together and skate with her at various skateparks for a couple of years now and says "I don't see that stopping anytime soon!".
Growing up in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, and later traveling the world as a model she strives to make sure people around her feel welcome and comfortable - even when they are the "new kid" at one of her skate clinics. She continually holds female and queer skate sessions where she teaches girls to skate and encourages them to stick with it by providing a support system of other girls right in their own neighborhood to skate with in the future.
Photo of Briana by Kris Evans
Past skate clinics have taken place in Boyle Heights, Seattle, Lincoln Heights, and El Sereno.
Stay tuned to Briana's Website for updates on upcoming skate clinics in 2020.
And make sure you check out the video below to see how rad these sessions are!
Quinne with Blk Girl Grip
BLK GIRL GRIP is the brainchild of Aziza -who started painting grip tape five years ago with her own designs. Why paint grip tape you might ask?
Aziza said, "I can't remember the last time I had blank grip - if I am going to be looking down at my board, at least make it cute, right?"
Every single piece she designs is one of a kind and a work of art. If you are lucky enough to catch her at a skate event you can see what she has available and buy it right there, otherwise hit her up on her Instagram @blkgirlgrip - but please remember, like most female-owned businesses we are writing about, she is a one-woman show so be patient when showing your support!
BABES BRIGADE, run by the raddest girl around, Stephanie Battieste, has been on a mission since 2015 to get girls and women in Toronto on skateboards no matter what! From meetups, lessons, parties, and group sessions this is one of the most fun women/girls skate groups we have ever met!
After spending countless years skating at her local skate parks, usually, as the only female, Stephanie began to start seeing more and more girls skating.
Photo Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word
Steph wanted to find a way for them to connect. After a little brainstorming, she decided social media platforms such as FB and IG would be the best way to do so. She then created weekly meetups just for women to skate together. It very quickly became a support group and safe space for women, on and off the board.
And we should also mention that for the over 21 ladies, Babes Brigade has its own signature beer from Prince Eddy's Brewing called the Haze Brigade - how rad is that?
We suggest you buy her board to support because pro-female skaters are rare, as are people of color in skateboarding. Plus every sale helps Samarria fund her dream of heading to the Olympics for Women's Street skateboarding.
MS. RPRSNTD, where do we even start? Their founder, Adrienne is a force to be reckoned with on so many levels. The goal of MS. RPRSNTD is to provide girls in marginalized communities with access to skateboarding, but the movement goes far beyond that.
How about a skate related multi-media art show (Girl Gang at Space 15 Twenty) or an Instagram that shines a light on women of color in skateboarding, add creating skateboard decks with the word Feminist on them and you know that Adrienne is seriously doing it all.
MS. RPRSNTD is coming back this year all grown up as a full-fledged Non-Profit, so we can't wait to see what happens next! Make sure you stay tuned on their Instagram @msrprsntd
THE SKATE KITCHEN, this diverse group of young female skateboarders has been the talk of NYC and beyond for years now. They skate hard, and they don't take any shit from the guys. The group is diverse and the women of color to follow on Instagram include skaters MoonBear, Dede Lovelace and Ajani Russell.
Collectively they have a movie out about their group, "The Skate Kitchen" which can be viewed on Amazon Prime, and now they star in a popular TV Series titled BETTY currently showing on HBO.
We want you to know that just like you, we are angry and saddened by the death of George Floyd and also all the other instances of police brutality that happen daily in this country. 🖤
Today we participated in a protest held in Manhattan Beach and listened to a Black speaker from our former high school talk about the fact that he never really felt 100% accepted in this small beach town. And why he was leading this protest and speaking out. His words were powerful and gave us pause.
Today we want to let you know that we plan on making sure we spend more time actively elevating and encouraging girls and women of color on all our platforms. We need to encourage the next generation and make sure women’s skateboarding is as diverse as it can possibly be.
We are putting together a list of Black female-owned skate movements and businesses with links to each on our website and will also announce financial donations we will be making directly to those movements/causes. ✨
If you have favorites that you feel we should know about - please let us know on our Instagram page
Please make sure you speak out even if you feel you aren’t doing it 100% right. Because Injustice is injustice and it needs to STOP.
Also, please consider donating to the following impactful causes:
