Race and Roller Skating

When researching the history of roller skating, I wasn’t expecting to come across such inspiring and emotive stories as I did. The happy-and-go-lucky image that roller skating has been branded with is only really reflective of the 80’s trend, and neon leg warmers don’t really hint towards the significant role skating played in battling racism.

Roller skating rinks were one of many things that fell subject to the Jim Crow laws of late 19th century and early 20th century America. During this period, black people were only permitted to use the rinks one night a week, while the rest of the time was dedicated to white people. These nights when the black community were actually permitted to skate were called ‘black nights’, however, in some rinks, the owners banned black people altogether. For example, in Boston, a manager barred 2 black skaters ‘I allow no coloured persons to skate on my floor…. I would not break the rule even for Fred Douglass’. This led to one of the many protests and boycotts that occurred at roller rinks throughout the civil rights movement. In fact, one of the earliest sit-ins (well,  “skate-in”) in aid of the civil-rights movement was at a roller rink.  

Protests for equality at roller rinks can be traced back to before the Civil rights movement had begun. In 1938 the Communist Party USA organised an interracial campaign to desegregate a rollerskating rink in Brooklyn. Then, in 1939, a catering union threatened to take Mecca Roller Skating Palace to court for refusing to sell tickets to their black members. When the rink eventually conceded, the success was celebrated by a mass integrated roller-skate party.

Protests at the rinks were not the only way roller skating intersected with the fight for freedom. On August 18th 1963, 27-year-old semi-professional roller skater, Ledger Smith, strapped on his skates and set out to attend Martin Luther King’s freedom rally where King would deliver his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Ledger lived in Chicago, over 685 miles from Washington, DC. It took him 10 days, skating about 10 hours each day, to reach the rally. Whilst he skated, Smith wore a sign that read ‘freedom’, ensuring his reason for embarking on such a physically intense journey was clear. Smith, in an interview, explained that he chose to travel by roller skate because it was the slowest way possible, and his drawn-out journey would ‘dramatise’ the march, hopefully attracting more attention to the movement. Although Smith encountered some support from fellow protesters also travelling to Washington, he also encountered a man who attempted to run him over. This was thankfully prevented by the car that accompanied him, which was provided by the NAACP. Smith’s 10-day odyssey was successful in drawing more news coverage to the march. 

On the 2nd of July the following year, President Johnson signed the civil rights act. However, even after the success of the civil rights movement, racism remained prevalent in American society. For roller rinks, this meant the continued segregation through ‘urban’ or ‘adult’ themed nights that were specifically aimed at the black community. The black skating community, despite facing this oppression, remained resilient. They began utilising outside spaces instead. This resilience led to skating becoming a symbol of expression and freedom. 

Despite the racist intention of these themed nights, a clear sense of community emerged from ‘soul’ nights at the roller rink. During an interview in the documentary ‘United Skates’, skater Reggie Brown says it’s one of the earliest times he remembers seeing a ‘whole bunch of people who looked like [him]’. The strong sense of community developed during this period is still prevalent today. 

Roller rinks did more than just provide a place for the black community to connect. The new genre, Hip-Hop, was beginning to gain increasing popularity. With many of the hip-hop artists being black and having primarily black audiences, they were often rejected from major music venues. Roller rinks at this time provided an alternative venue for artists like N.W.A and Salt-N-Pepa to perform and acted as a space where emerging artists (such as Mary J Blige and Queen Latifah) could experiment with their sound. 

America is not the only place where racism and rollerskating have intersected. Some racism can be traced back to the UK and, in some cases, to Birmingham.

In 1909 engineering student from the University of Birmingham, Ag-Bebi, was denied entry to the American Skating Rink. Ag-Bebi was an international student from West Africa, and it was more than evident that Ag-Bebi was refused entry because of the colour of his skin. This racist incident was dealt with by Humphy Humphreys, the University of Birmingham’s guild president. After writing a very angry letter to the American Skate Rink, he received this response: 

The reply came from The American Skate Rink’s acting solicitors, Ansell and Ashford, and assured Humphreys that discrimination of ‘Colonial Students’ will not be tolerated. The fact that the response came from a solicitor implies that Humphrys threatened to take legal action or another extreme form of action, such as getting UOB students to boycott the rink. Although this racist act was technically rectified, it is horrifying that there is no personal letter expressing apologies and upsetting that in order for all students to be seen as just that, students, legal action had to be threatened. Thankfully the UOB guild President and the body of students banded together to support a fellow student who faced this kind of treatment. 

In tracing the history of roller skating, it becomes evident that this seemingly joyful pastime holds a deeper and more profound connection to the struggle against racism and the pursuit of equality. 

Roller rinks became unexpected havens for emerging cultural movements, particularly the rise of Hip-Hop. By offering alternative stages for black artists who were marginalised in mainstream music venues, roller rinks became catalysts for creativity and expression. This intersection of music, skating, and activism underscores the power of community spaces to shape culture and challenge societal norms. 

Just as the past demonstrates, roller skating continues to evolve, adapt, and create spaces where people from diverse backgrounds can come together to celebrate their shared love for skating. 

Rolling out is a Bertz project that celebrates this evolving skating culture and its growing significance in today's climate. However, in celebrating this culture we cannot forget to give credit to the community that kept it alive all these years. 

The continued relevance of the sport today can be attributed to the African-American community and their remarkable aptitude for sharing their culture, and welcoming those who wish to learn from it.

Just taking a look at the informal skate group ‘Skate Brum’ we find that despite the group growing significantly during lockdown, many skaters have been skating since the 70s or all their lives. 

Black culture is and always has been inseparable from roller skating culture. Roller skating rinks have served as battlegrounds for social change and hence roller skating remains a symbol of unity, freedom, and self-expression, reflecting the enduring strength of a community that emerged from the shadows of discrimination. 

Resources:

Connecting Histories: Staffordshire County Council

Letter To The Guild Of Undergraduates, University Of Birmingham

Daily Beast

The Rich History Of Black Roller Skating Rinks—And Their Civil Rights Legacy

Elyssa Goodman, Vice 

The Overlooked History Of African American Skate Culture

Rosalia Marenco,  The Criterion

Roller Skating To Freedom: History Behind Black Roller Skating Culture

February 19, 2021

Rebecca Otto, Peachy Keen Swim

The Not-So-Secret History Of Roller Skating

Matthew Speiser, Business Insider

This Man Roller Skated 685 Miles To Attend Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have A Dream' Speech

Aug 28, 2015

Martin Smith, Dream Deferred

Roller Skating And The Us Civil Rights Movement

28 June 2016