In 2010, a robust exhibit on the California African American Museum in Los Angeles was launched known as “How We Roll,” centered on Black surf and skate tradition, and Ocea Lei Iverson (she/her/they/them) was a part of the planning group centered on girls’s participation. Ocea’s father is Black American with Indigenous heritage, and her mom is first era Filipino, and together with her lengthy historical past as a skateboarder and group organizer, mixed with being a resident of L.A., Ocea’s involvement was a pure match with the exhibit, and the exhibit continues to be among the many initiatives she is most happy with right this moment.
I had the chance to interview Ocea on February 13, 2025, and discovered extra about her story, just like the highs and lows of being “memorable” to predominately white male skate boarders as a pre-teen skater of shade hitting up the native parks on a solo mission to progress in skateboarding.
Ocea shared that she was born in Santa Cruz in 1979 and grew up in Watsonville the place her grandparents and mother immigrated from the Philippines and picked strawberries within the native fields for many years. Ocea stated, “Perhaps [skateboarding] is in my blood as a result of my mother had a kind of banana boards again within the day and would journey it happening the dust lanes within the strawberry fields.” After which, when Ocea was round age 7, in 1987 or ‘88, a neighbor pal came visiting together with his skateboard. Ocea had at all times been centered on using BMX bikes, however she hopped on this board within the driveway of her grandparents’ place and busted out a 360 spin to the amazement of her pal who assumed she should have tried skateboarding earlier than. “It simply felt very pure, and I fell in love with it.”
Any likelihood she might get, Ocea would borrow this neighbor’s board and since freestyle was nonetheless widespread, that’s what she practised within the paved laneway. Being a younger child, she wasn’t conscious of a skateboard tradition or trade, and her dad even commented that skateboarding was only a toy for teenagers.
A number of years later, at age 11, Ocea moved together with her mother to reside in Minneapolis for ten years when her dad and mom separated. Ocea acquired her personal board, a Chris Miller, Santa Cruz, however on the expense of her BMX bike, which was stolen out of her gated yard. The bike had been very costly for the time, round $500, and Ocea remembered having a blast on it, ripping round dust jumps together with her mates, however she was knowledgeable that it might not get replaced, so skateboarding was it.
Ocea then had the chance to skate mini-ramps due to an indoor skate park known as “Third Lair,” which opened in 1997 on Lake Road by Mark Rodriquez, which apparently was the third try to keep up an indoor skatepark within the location. The park was highly regarded as one of many largest indoors within the Midwest, and although the park moved to Golden Valley 5 years later, it continued to thrive and nonetheless serves the skateboarding group right this moment (see web site).
Ocea’s mother would deliver her to the park, “and it was like a bunch of white guys, just about between the ages of 15 and 40 within the Nineteen Nineties. I see them on the vert ramp simply considering they’re like Tony Hawk.” Ocea needed to chortle when, twenty years later, at a random skatepark in Indianapolis some dude approached her insisting that he knew her from Third Lair. “I instructed my mother that story and she or he’s like, properly, after all he remembered you. You have been like the one Black lady that he most likely ever noticed on the skatepark!”
With the tough winters in Minnesota, the indoor park was a godsend for Ocea, though she did find yourself buying her very personal quarter-pipe that was 6-feet excessive with an 8-foot extension. “Me and my mates have been using bikes, and we noticed this ramp and knocked on a girl’s door and have been like, ‘Hey, can we skate your ramp?’” It turned out that the ramp had been left behind by the girl’s son, who had gone to school, and she or he was satisfied he would by no means skate once more, so she instructed Ocea and her mates to take it!
“It was a giant quarter-pipe and it took ten of us to push it up his large hill and into my driveway… It simply changed into a group skate place, like all of the BMX bikers, rollerbladers and skaters got here to my home in Golden Valley. It was time.” Sadly, Ocea’s step-dad was not precisely impressed for the reason that quarter-pipe took up nearly the entire lane nevertheless it lasted round seven years till he hauled it away and doubtless used it for hearth wooden, someday round 1990.
By way of different women to skate with in these early days, Ocea was typically solo, however she remembered going to Lisa Whitaker’s web site as a young person and ordering the Villa Villa Cola video known as Hanging Worry Into the Hearts of Teenage Women, which was the one video she might discover on-line within the late Nineteen Nineties. Ocea did have a poster of Cara-beth Burnside on her wall for inspiration. Though, Ocea stated, “If I knew Stephanie Particular person existed, I might have had her poster on my wall. Any individual to look as much as that really appears to be like like me, that I can establish with, like I’m not the one one.” Ultimately, Ocea would get to fulfill Stephanie as a part of the “How We Roll” exhibition in 2010, alongside together with her good mates, Tierra Cobb and Erin Wade.
Pictures of Ocea with Stephanie Particular person, Tierra Cobb and Erin Wade.
Ocea caught with skateboarding by way of the Nineteen Nineties and ultimately discovered like-minded skaters when she competed within the first Depraved Wahine contest in Glendale, CA in 2004, which was a female-focused bowl and pool sequence organized by Tammy “Bam Bam” Tangalin-Williams and Liz Brandenberg. Ocea was making the transition west, residing with household in Bakersfield earlier than absolutely returning to Los Angeles in 2005, when she entered the occasion. The competition made an actual impression on Ocea. She stated, “Bam Bam’s contests have been superb – there was such help and encouragement for girls coming collectively, and she or he made it very soulful and cultural, with Hawaiian chants over the bowl when it bought began.” This respect for custom and tradition, together with nice prizes, made it an superior sequence.
Pictures: Jeff Greenwood for Concrete Disciples from 2004-2012
Together with the Depraved Wahine occasions, Ocea competed in no less than three OG Jam contests, organized by Heidi Lemmon, the Vans Combi Pool Traditional, and an All Woman Skate Jam when it was provided in San Francisco on the pier as a part of the Warped Tour by Patty Segovia. All through these occasions, Ocea was assembly folks like Cara-Beth, Mimi Knoop, Amy Caron and Vanessa Torres, and at all times discovered it so cool that in skateboarding she might casually skate together with her heroes, which is a state of affairs that may by no means occur in different professional sports activities, like basketball!
Picture: Depraved Wahine function in Verify it Out journal from difficulty #17 in 2004.
Together with her childhood expertise internet hosting a quarter-pipe as a type of group hub, Ocea understood the worth of skateparks as a wholesome outlet for youth. When she moved again to California, Ocea ended up collaborating with Heidi Lemmon, Bob Staton (RIP), and Jimmy Gough (Inglewood Park & Rec Supervisor) in internet hosting the Inglewood Video games, in her position working for Parks and Recreation.
Ocea organized a skate group with Jimmy known as Workforce TOOK which stood for Three One 0 Children (310), and Staton would even give Ocea funds for fuel and accommodations in order that she might journey with a crew of Black feminine skaters, a part of Workforce Took, to attend WFSA contests in San Diego and round Orange County. Ocea regarded Heidi as a type of skateboard mother and was impressed by her Skatepark Affiliation of the united statesA. (SPAUSA) that helped present skateboard park insurance coverage. “She even offered housing for plenty of younger Black skaters and in addition had a skate college the place teenagers might get their diplomas.”
The Inglewood Video games started in 2006 at Darby Park skatepark and was a contest that had the intention of supporting younger black and brown skaters. By 2009, the competition attracted 235 entrants, making it one of many largest city contests on the planet, in accordance with a report within the Concrete Wave (Spring 2011).
Ocea recalled how arduous they needed to persevere as a result of the Metropolis stored compromising by constructing “skate parks” that have been basically crappy Masonite ramps in short-term settings that have been alleged to function modular and moveable obstacles however nobody discovered them difficult. This half-ass method meant that the Metropolis was losing cash (roughly $600,000) as an alternative of creating correct skateparks, and the websites ended up changing into interesting to drug sellers slightly than vibrant areas for youth.
Regardless, the Inglewood Video games was successful and Ocea managed to collect prizes and donations like skateboards, garments, gear, and present certificates for the children. And, as a result of Ocea had a reference to Barb Odanaka by way of the Skateboard Mama’s and Sisters of Shred community, as a fellow skateboarding mother, Ocea was given a whole bunch of {dollars} price of Chili’s present certificates since Barb’s husband was serving to them develop the corporate’s variety efforts.
Lisa Whitaker additionally tapped the skateboard firm she was working for on the time, to throw down some high quality skateboard vans, which was enormously appreciated. “I used to be simply so grateful. I actually want we might have continued however after three years the forms took maintain and the Metropolis got here in and stated ‘none of those children can skate except they’ve a waiver signed.’ Effectively, good luck with that.”
Ocea understood the fact of the children’ dwelling life, particularly when she was organizing the 310 Workforce. Monitoring down dad and mom who have been working and coping with internal metropolis conditions to signal waivers might be an actual battle, and since she wasn’t technically their guardian, Ocea couldn’t signal the types on their behalf. The insistence of waiver types grew to become limitations that prevented children from absolutely taking part in these packages, and generally they felt intentional. Luckily, the vibes in the direction of a gaggle of Black women skateboarding was constructive, particularly in Venice, as Ocea recalled.
Ocea remembered documenting Black feminine skaters for the “How We Roll” exhibit alongside together with her pal, Erin Wade to help the curator, Okay-Dub Williams who created Hood Video games in 2005 in East Oakland. It was an actual milestone for her, particularly reaching out to younger girls in locations like Brazil, however she had hoped that one thing extra would evolve, like a weblog, ebook, or documentary centered on forty years of Black skate boarders. With the correct funding, it might nonetheless occur, however Ocea was discouraged when this facet of skateboarding historical past wasn’t being robotically elevated and explored. Ocea shared the instance of the Dogtown Z-boy skater Marty Grimes, who wasn’t celebrated in both the mainstream Lord of Dogtown movie or Dogtown and Z-Boys documentary, although there was loads of footage.
Pictures: Ocea together with her son in 2009 by Lisa Whitaker
Ocea spent a long time serving to impart anti-racist training till she learn the work of Robin DiAngelo (writer of White Fragility) and Tim Sensible (writer of The Racial Therapeutic Handbook) and got here to the understanding that it was not the onus of any particular person of shade to clarify systemic racism and that it was greatest left as much as White Anti-racist educators like Robin and Tim.
As a two-spirit particular person, Ocea additionally understood the impression of intersectionality in skateboarding, when overlapping programs of discrimination layer as much as create limitations that might typically exhaust an individual at all times processing some type of emotional labor. Ocea recalled how, she was as soon as approached by Michael Brooke, the editor of the Concrete Wave in reference to Black Historical past Month. Ocea was flattered by the invitation to discover the great / the unhealthy / the ugly, however the timing simply wasn’t proper for her to unpackage and critique the previous and be weak. And there have been some difficult instances, particularly through the Eighties when punk was thriving.
Ocea remembered being confronted by somebody who wished to know her opinion on rap music, after which being “knowledgeable” that rap sucked and the way Black folks have been “taking on.” She was grateful when the damaging perspective in the direction of Black tradition shifted, nevertheless it was not simple being focused. Ocea was appreciative of Black skaters like Ray Barbee, who was in a punk band, but in addition acknowledged that there was nonetheless a special energy dynamic {that a} man might receive versus an eleven-year-old Black lady. “A person goes to navigate areas very in another way than I do.”
Skateboarding right this moment generally likes to current itself as this equitable pursuit, with white skaters who “don’t see shade.” Ocea, who’s a spoken phrase artist, even wrote a poem about this privileged phenomenon. For instance, within the lead-up to Obama’s presidency, Ocea was in Orange County on the outside Volcom skatepark, “I used to be there and there was one other lady, who was white. I used to be skating the bowl, being pleasant and so she came visiting and dropped in to the bowl. However when she bought out, I checked out her shirt and it had an image of a monkey in affiliation with Obama. It was a political factor, representing a Black particular person with a face of a monkey, my coronary heart simply type of sank. That is alleged to be a refuge for me, and she or he’s simply going round prefer it’s a standard factor to put on, like she’s not going to see a single Black particular person and it doesn’t matter.” Years later, Ocea famous that “I noticed her once more with a gaggle of mutual mates at an trade occasion and I didn’t say something to her.”
Skateboarding took its toll on Ocea, particularly since sporting security gear wasn’t at all times a precedence. Ocea even puzzled if her bursitis may need been averted if she had heeded the recommendation of vert skater, Heidi Fitzgerald again within the day at a contest who stated, “you higher placed on some pads or your knees are gonna flip to jelly!” However, what are you able to do! Not less than skateboarding helped join Ocea with some superb folks like Heidi Lemmon, Courtney Payne-Taylor (GRO-Women Riders Group), Natalie Krishna Das and Jean Rusen with the AZ Las Chicas crew, Patti McGee (RIP) and her daughter, Hailey Villa, Amelia Brodka and her work with Publicity, and Micaela Ramirez by way of her group Poseiden, which Ocea bought concerned with.
And there’s been alternatives for Ocea to fulfill main Black feminine skaters right this moment like Samarria Brevard, Adrianne Sloboh and Briana King, who acknowledge her position as a mentor at occasions like Women Day on the Berrics. And Ocea even had the chance skate Mary Mills’ yard mini-ramp – one other legendary Black feminine surfer skater!
Pictures: Ocea with Mary Mills and mates!
As we wrapped up the interview, Ocea gave props to the younger individuals who now not wait round for permission to hitch “the desk” in the correct room or the correct place the place so-called choice makers function. “They don’t care concerning the desk. They’re not asking permission. They don’t wish to be on the desk, they make their very own, and I want that extra OG folks like myself have been extra like that.”
Picture: Ocea on the Berrics in 2022 with Patti McGee (RIP) and her daughter, Hailey Villa
Ocea’s imaginative and prescient for the way forward for skateboarding was that the group would come to a spot of higher understanding, whether or not one is Queer, Black, feminine, or non-binary, appreciating that there have been individuals who paved the way in which to create change, and that there needs to be mutual respect for individuals who have overcome adversity and challenged patriarchy. “We’ve bought so many programs of oppression. We’ve bought racism, we’ve bought colorism inside this, we’ve bought socio financial oppression and classism, and these layers have to be dismantled. And you may’t dismantle it should you don’t talk about it or name it out.”
You possibly can observe Ocea on her Instagram at Ocea_Lei “Your One Black Lesbian Buddy” or on Fb at Ocea Lei. Thanks a lot, Ocea for taking the time to speak with me and share a few of your story!