Update, Tuesday, Aug. 25: The organizers of the event have postponed it to Aug. 26 due to inclement weather.
Originally, Saturday, Aug. 22: Kilian Ruckriegel, 12, and Sophia Cosmina Ruckriegel, 14, two East End surfers, are making waves as organizers of a paddle-out on Aug. 25 at 6 p.m at the beach at the end of Napeague Lane in Amagansett in support of inclusion in surfing and the Black Lives Matter movement. Masks are required and social distancing will be enforced. “Bring your voice! Bring positive vibes. Spread the word,” an Instagram post says. “Let’s come together as a community.”
Sophia, who said she had started surfing around age 6 and took to it immediately, wrote in an email that inspiration came from hearing about the worldwide paddle-outs organized by Black Girls Surf and others in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May.
“We learned about the paddle-out held at Ditch Plains in early June only after it happened. Many communities around the world continued having paddle-outs throughout the summer, and we waited for someone to organize another paddle-out on the East End, where we love to surf – but none were organized.”
After attending a paddle-out put together by the Black Surfing Association in Rockaway in July, the siblings decided to just do it themselves here at their favorite beach off Napeague Lane.
“As African Americans and Germans, it was very important to us to engage communities of color in this paddle-out,” wrote Kilian. “We want this paddle-out to be really inclusive. When many people think of surfing, they think it’s a sport for white men. But surfing is for everyone.”
The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, where the Ruckriegels have done outreach in Spanish, will have a speaker at the paddle-out, “with the hope that we channel some of the good will of the community at the event into concrete support and initiatives for children and youth beyond the 25 August event,” Kilian added.
“We also recently watched the documentary ‘White Wash,’ about the surfing industry and discrimination against people of color in surfing, and the legacy of the segregation of pools and beaches in the United States and how that legacy is still felt today,” his sister wrote. “There are many kids who do not know how to swim, which is a safety issue.”
Time under quarantine had played a part in their activism, the siblings said. “We have had more time to discuss important issues together as a family – like Black Lives Matter and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Elijah McClain – as well as the upcoming election,” Kilian said. “With remote learning we have actually had much more time to think about these issues and find ways to respond – like this paddle-out.”
“I also read [Ibram Kendi’s book ‘Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You’] this summer, which helped me see that we should all try to understand our own unconscious prejudices and biases,” he continued. “Because what we are really trying to build is an inclusive community, and an antiracist society. And in the future, we plan to organize a couple of events with local organizations related to solidarity in surf and in our community, so stay tuned!”
