Photo by Jessica Fernandez of her children and friends in their backyard

Here is some water fun enjoyed by my kids and their cousins, courtesy of swimming skills! Knowing how to swim is the gift that keeps on giving and is easiest to learn as a young child. Swimmers enjoy sports such as kayaking, rafting, diving, snorkeling, scuba and can interact with water confidently.

According to a Diversity in Aquatics article, “Black children drown at a rate more than three times that of white children,” and nearly 70 percent of African-American children do not know how to swim according to a YMCA survey.

It’s not too late in the year (or in life) to sign up for swim lessons at your local YMCA or community pool. Some camps, such as those offered by Outdoor Afro Tracey Friley’s OBG Adventure Camps, help teen girls come of age through culturally sensitive travel and water exploration. If you are a grown-up, consider taking lessons solo or with other adults. There are many classes available at local community colleges, with some even specialized for adults who might feel uncertain about the water.

If you and your loved ones don’t know how to swim, now is the time to learn. Learning to swim not only prevents unnecessary drowning, but also helps you get the most out of your summer fun!

As much as I get around to parks and trails, I remain amazed by the diverse options for outdoor engagement found mere minutes for my home. Tilden has a bit of something for everyone: a little farm, steam trains, merry-go-round, botanic and native plant gardens, a golf course, many trails, and stunning views from every angle.

The fair weather meant fewer people with plenty of parking and space to spread out in the sand. We were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and we found a nice open area where the kids could remain in easy view, but a lifeguard on duty in the summer months is a big plus.

After about an hour or so of going in and out of the water, the sun faded behind the eucalyptus and the chill of the afternoon could no longer be ignored. Just before leaving the park, we stopped at a vista where other visitors were perched to appreciate the stunning views of the San Francisco Bay that reminded us why we loved this place.

If you are in or near the East Bay Area, definitely consider a visit to Tilden Park. Check out their website for a complete list of activities that are mostly free.

What is your favorite place to go swimming in the summertime?

Photo courtesy of Tyson Simmons, who is pictured here with his sister at Colorado Bend State Park.

By Paul Richardson

“The sport of kings”

I am pretty sure some of you have heard that phrase before, but did you know that in some circles, it also refers to the sport of surfing? Earliest reports say that the first recorded observation of people surfing was 1779 in  Hawaii. While I am not trying to steal Hawaii’s thunder on this one, I think there’s a pretty good chance that somewhere else in the world around that time others were “surfing”. In any event, as far as the “written” history is concerned, Hawaii is the birthplace of modern surfing.

Tony Corley, BSA Founder

As far as we know the first black surfer in the U.S, or at least on the West Coast, was Nick Gabaldon who lived in Santa Monica. He was born in 1927, did a stint in the military, and then returned to California. In 1951, while surfing at Malibu and apparently trying to pull out of a wave, he ran into the pilings of the Malibu pier and was killed. The timeline from this point gets a wee bit hazy, but somewhere around 1961 or so, history seems to point to Frank Edwards as the next notable black surfer from the Torrance, Redondo Beach area of Los Angeles. Frank is still alive and lives in Northern California; though he no longer surfs (I am working on that).

At this point a few other brothers began coming onto the scene, such as Rick Blocker, and Stanley Washington and including one Tony Corley, who in 1973 (or was it 75?) wrote a shout-out letter to other black surfers which was published in Surfer magazine, the premier magazine on surfing at the time. Predictably, some of the responses were less than friendly, but he did manage to get some feedback from other black surfers. Were these the only ones? Probably not. As the 70’s roll through we begin to see more black surfers, and even a few in advertisements published in the surfing magazines. Buttons Kahluhilokalani, who is Black and Hawaiian, arrives on the scene in Hawaii, arguably one of the most influential surfers (for insiders) to come around in awhile. By the time we get to the early to mid 80’s the first black woman, Sharon Schaffer, competes on the women’s professional tour and from this point, the momentum has been established.

Sharon Schaffer, Puerto Escondido

The Black Surfing Association was subsequently founded, and today is growing stronger with each passing season. There are a few brothers and sisters surfing up near where I live in Northern California, but black surfers are everywhere; on the islands, the east coast — Jamaica has a pretty strong amateur team, and who knows what is going on in the motherland!

For more information, you can contact the Black Surfing Association or me, Paul Richardson.

Peace, share the stoke,

Paul Richardson

Paul by day is an engineer working in Silicon Valley. When not working, he is a father, husband, loves to surf, read, and in general, be outside as much as he can. He is also a contributing blogger at Oaklandseen.com

Quality Time!

Just received this picture tonight from Brian Drayton of Richmond, California. His family was Spotted on Sunday (SOS) in the San Francisco Bay kayaking!

Thanks for sharing Brian!

Clothesline Photo: Renee Gunter

I was going to write about sustainable landscaping – and I still will, but something else came up:

The Laundry.

Washing clothes is actually my least favorite chore right along with mopping the floor, taking out dripping trash, and investigating that “noise” in the middle of the night. Thus, I view the laundry task through a ‘necessary evil’ lens. But I like when it’s done. The problem is, it’s never done! I think I handle laundry fairly well for a household of four, but every time I get the last bit folded and put away on a Sunday night, the basket is already nearly half full with a new load, which is a real buzz kill.

Can’t you tell I could use some excitement in the laundry department?

Photo: Roy Montgomery

So imagine my delight to stumble upon some countryfied laundry soap, made with old-school attitude by a sustainable minded sister from Los Angeles. And before you go glossy eyed on me: No, this is not an ad…in fact, she doesn’t even know how sprung I am on her mission. Yet.

Renee Gunter

I actually heard about Renee Gunter and her sustainable landscaping and water saving from Outdoor Afro community member, birder, and backyard innovator Cindy Hopkins, but when I dug deeper, I found her Old School Brand blog, which is an adventure that takes us back to the days before the soap opera of TIDE improvements to a place I had completely forgotten existed. I admit that I had long ago bought into the jingle’s message that “Tide gets it clean“, but lately I have wondered to myself: at what cost?

Laundry might have taken all day in the basement, or in the backyard back in “Big Mama’s” youth because of the contemporary technology and orthodox methods needed to produce no less than perfectly starched, white collars. But in spite of the toil, it was sustainably done without health and environmental consequences.

How did our grandmothers produce sparkling laundry without chemicals leeching into our water systems?  Or without irritating delicate skin? I have a hunch Ms. Gunter has captured their solution in her soap. She makes the soap in small batches with kind ingredients for use with the modern convenience of a machine.

best friends forever

After reading her blog, I have to admit I felt like a laundry wimp who has conveniently avoided the real deal of laundry duty experienced by the women of my heritage. Her blog chronicles the presence and skill of African American women in the activity of cleaning laundry, and hanging it to dry outside, with some gorgeous historic photos.  She writes about the matriarchs of her family, all of whom were maids who migrated from Arkansas to the Los Angeles area, and recalls sitting and watching the meticulous cleaning her mom and aunts did for wealthy whites that relied more on skills and sweat equity than on products.

Laundry in the Sunshine

So to gain some laundry cred, I am ordering Old School Brand soap this week! And when I get it, maybe I’ll go a bit further to save quarters, reduce my household footprint on the environment, and let the unmentionables hang outdoors for the sun to bleach, and all the neighbors to see, as one more way to help make the world healthier.

For more information: Old School Laundry Soap

Click Picture to Order

Old School Laundry Soap $10

Outdoor Afro just received a note from Arthur Bronson, President of the International Federation of Black Bass Anglers (IFBBA) to let us know what his organization has been frying up these days. The IFBBA’s members are comprised primarily of people of color and its membership and outreach spans the globe. The organization also targets and mentors urban kids of color to participate in various fishing derbies and clinics.

Arthur Bronson and IFBBA members Ed Hasse and Reynaldo Anderson

Mr. Bronson says that fishing for African Americans is not new, “we have always fished for food first and recreation second. Our families came out of the South where we fished the river, creeks, and lakes for crappie, bass, and catfish.”

Two Toads

He is so right. And for those of us who don’t fish regularly now, most have memories. I recall catching my first crappy at age three in Clear Lake, California, along side my southern Daddy. As legend has it, once I had the fish on my line, I exclaimed, “Look daddy, the fish is laughing!”

Kudos to the IFBBA for doing its part to make fishing a more visible tradition and to create more memories — and delicious fish frys for a new generation!

Please click their logo up top to learn more!

Reposted by Request

“Don’t get my hair wet!” I’ve blurted many times in a breathless panic anytime water came dangerously close to my heat straightened locks. I always joked that water near a black woman’s hair is like kryptonite near Superman – and in some cases, it’s actually true. Real tears have been shed for hairstyles unexpectedly ruined from contact with water folks!

I was raised to be afraid of what water could do to my hair. As a young girl, the only places permissible to get my hair wet, were either at a beauty salon, or in the kitchen sink under the frenzied hands of my older sister. And an immediate straightening, braiding, or twisting followed the wash to make me presentable for public consumption.

If I had just had my hair “did”, water activities, like swimming or even a short stroll in the rain, were completely off the table unless I wanted to get in trouble with mom. If I did get in the water, I had to “protect” my hair with two rubber swim caps and a Holly Hobby-like bonnet. But the swim caps were never successful. The inevitable water leak would begin around the cap’s edges and shortly after, my hair would rebel from its straightening and revert to its native happy nappy.

Some people like to catalog the black woman’s hair obsession as a form of self hatred – “be natural” say some, but I’m not there – yet. And as a mother myself now, I get that my mom’s fussiness (and later my own) sometimes had to do with time and maintenance management. I cringe now as I recall the thick plumes of hair my poor mom had to corral on my head, wet or dry. So when she sent me to get a new “do” at the salon, she was also trying to buy herself a little break.

I remain a press-n-curl black girl from Oakland, but the difference is now I have learned to balance my hair styles with my outdoor thrills. I just work it in cycles. When I am in a mode for water activities, I keep my hair in braids or wait until my press is on its last legs. I have to admit, I envy the black women who have gotten off the hair obsession train and instead rock tight short fades or natural locks full-time. I don’t know if I will ever get there with those sisters, but never again will hair be a reason for me to miss out on a good swim.