Kilian Ruckriegel, 12, and Sophia Cosmina Ruckriegel, 14, brother and sister surfers from Springs, made waves as organizers of a paddle-out held on Aug. 26 at from the beach at Napeague Lane in Amagansett in support of inclusion and solidarity in surfing and the Black Lives Matter movement. "Bring your voice! Bring positive vibes. Spread the word," an Instagram post said. "Let's come together as a community."
The event drew about 100 people of all ages, many of them families, some masked, some distanced, but all engaged. Kilian and Sophia spoke, as did Alex Kilgore, their surf instructor this summer. When it came time to head into the water, about 10 young surfers grabbed a flower from a communal collection and tossed it into the water as they waded in.
Kilian and Sophia led the way, shepherding their fellow surfers with authority.
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 organize one themselves at their favorite Napeague beach.
"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 Ruckriegels also used the paddle-out as a way to promote the good work of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, where they have done outreach in Spanish, "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," Kilian wrote.
"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 added. "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."
Kilian also read Ibram X. 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 wrote. "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!"
They are off to a good start. The event last week raised more than $3,000 for the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, OLA of Eastern Long Island, and Black Surfing Rockaway.