“I was trying to figure out what was the best thing for the women’s surf community. Is it surf therapy? Is it competition surfing? What is the actual thing they need? And this is where Black Girl Surf was born. We decided to make it competition” - Rhonda Harper, founder Black Girls Surf
Black Girls Surf was founded as a non-profit in 2014, with the goal to increase access to surfing for women and girls of colour, and create pathways to competitive surfing. Rhonda Harper has been both the partner to and the thorn in the side of the professional surf bodies ever since, diversifying the lineup and challenging the stereotype that surfing is a non-black sport.
Her programmes now run in Senegal, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the US. The organisation not only provides coaching, fitness training and mentoring to enable the girls to reach olympic level competition, but often financial support to ensure they gain access to the classroom during the process.
It’s been a journey that hasn’t always been positive. Rhonda’s first experiences of surfing when she moved to the ocean in California at 10 were accompanied by horrific racial abuse, leading to her being sent to live with her sister on the north shore of Hawaii at 15.
The surf club that she bought and grew in Dakar in Senegal during COVID-19 travel restrictions, whilst successful as a club in growing Olympic level athletes, was illegally occupied by a previous owner, leading to hostile dispute that ended up in court. They recently regained access to the space after a two year battle.
Rhonda is at the end of her time as the main face and driver of Black Girls Surf. It is clear from this interview that there has been little respite from her journey of campaigning. She hasn’t taken a holiday since the organisation began. She speaks of having to stay in her flat for months after a trip to Africa, because the level of oppression affects her mental state when on the ground.
Shockingly (as a surfer interviewing her) she hasn’t surfed in years, her own personal demonstration for black women’s rights: if other women aren’t recognised in the water, she doesn’t feel she should have a place there either.
This interview covers so much:
There are a number of surfers referenced in this interview, but in particular, Rhonda talks extensively about Khadjou. Khadjou Sambe is widely recognised as Senegal's first female professional surfer and a pioneering figure in West African surfing. Khadjou was directly coached by Rhonda and has been instrumental to the Black Girls Surf organisation.
I felt a lot of responsibility with this one. It may well be her last interview - I hope we’ve done your story justice Rhonda, we loved having you.
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Show host: Caroline Keylock
Show producer: Selma Chalabi
The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Board Women.
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