"Melanin in Motion" teaches BIPOC kids snowboarding in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS – It seems simple.
"You can learn to snowboard on a small hill," said Anthony Taylor, the co-founder of the nonprofit Melanin in Motion, which offers inexpensive introductory snowboard and ski lessons.
"So here we are at Theodore Wirth Park, in the middle of the city," said Taylor. "Right in the same neighborhood as the highest concentration of African American, Hmong, Latinx and Indigenous kids in the state probably. And we're five minutes from someone's house. You can learn to snowboard five minutes from your house."
The organization does training for many outdoor activities. Taylor says snowboarding is particularly attractive.
"Aesthetically, I think something that actually makes a lot of sense and matches young people who live in urban settings," said Taylor. "So it really itself has a feel and a look and a spirit I think that works."
William Harkness, 12, has gone from student to teacher.
"I see a lot of kids getting way better than before. Every time somebody steps on a board it's like they learn something new, they learned a new turn, a new trick," said Harkness. "Make a bigger bond and make it so it's not only one race or one type out there. Make it so all types and all colors, shapes and sizes can be all out and shredding and stuff."
"If you're gonna live here, be well, be healthy, connect to community, you have to see winter as an opportunity," said Taylor.