We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Risa B a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Risa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Our annual Juneteenth BBQ is one of the most meaningful projects I’ve done. This event is important because it represent freedom. It represents the strength and resilience of our community. Seeing so many black folks congregate at the beach, surf, bring joy and culture in spaces that we were once banned from is amazing and inspiring. Seeing the kids stand up on a wave for the 1st time and how their eyes light up, motivate us to continue to go hard for them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I go into my industry because I became brave enough to do the work to confront inequalities in our coastal spaces.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The ability to inspire others. We are all just walking each other home. Nipsey Hussle once said the greatest act is to inspire. To inspire creativity, positivity, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, kindness, community service etc is a contribution to human kind while you’re on this earth and that in itself is a service.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to provide representation for a little black girl out there who thinks she doesn’t fit in, belong or can’t keep up in any space. I want her to come across my work and the work of so many other talented bi-racial/black women and be inspired. I want to provide representation for her and all the other girls out there so they know that they can create anything their little heart desires, even if they dont look “mainstream”.

Contact Info:

• Website: paddleforpeace.org
• Instagram: Paddleforpeace
• Facebook: PaddleforpeaceSD
• Twitter: paddleforpeacesd

Image Credits
National city Surf and A&B Photography