Photos at Ditch by Andrew J. Rauner
Beach gatherings in protest, remembrance and hope went global this weekend
On Friday June 5, 2020 Ditch Plains witnessed a good thing, playing its part in a global event with group surfs taking place in Sydney, Australia; Rockaway Beach, New York; Talofofo Bay, Guam; Monterey, California and other locations around the world. So it was a good day at Ditch. Maybe better than most days. We aren’t talking about the waves though. Hundreds of locals, visitors, surfers, non-surfers, kids, parents, and friends joined together in Solidarity in Surfing. An event organized by Black Girls Surf to combat racism and honor George Floyd, Breanne Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the lives of the many others that have been unjustly taken.
Montauk local, Pat Fallon helped lead the community paddle out in classic style and spoke to the crowd about helping each other and the need to end racism. After months in a house the East End of Long Island, many came out for maybe one of the first times to to rally around the call-to-action that has rightfully travelled around the world, with people marching, standing and chanting and, yes, surfing to say with one voice: Black lives matter. It was a good thing at Ditch.
Black Girls Surf starts with racial equality with surf camps for girls age 5–17, but goes well beyond that. You can help Black Girls Surf continue to make waves by contributing here. Consider also supporting the Mass Defense Program to support legal aid for protesters and activists.
Our friends Brian and Sean of @leftsandrightsco were in Monterey, CA on Friday and down in Rockaway Beach, where BGS inspired the East Coast Black Surfing Association to lead a Paddle Out on Saturday. They put together this video of the coast-spanning paddles.
The Solidarity in Surf paddle outs continue with a vigil in memory of black live lost to police brutality in Hermosa Beach. Follow @blackgirlssurf for updates on upcoming events and ways you can help.
