Diversity in the Lineup: Black Surfers Collective Draws 125 to Beach Day

(LOS ANGELES, Calif.) — The Black Surfers Collective held a “Pan African Beach Day” at Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles last month, gathering community with the goal to foster inclusivity — and water safety  — at the beach.

Gregory Rachal cofounded the organization 13 years ago to provide education, mentorship, and direct ocean access. After witnessing many participants lack the ability to swim, coupled with becoming aware of high-drowning rates amongst Black and brown children, he added safety education to the group’s mission. 

“Our logo is ‘Diversity in the Lineup,’” Rachal said. “We are a group of people from the greater Los Angeles area of all colors and faiths…  we just come out here to share our love of surfing and make sure that people from different communities know that surfing is here for them.”

Instructor Lizelle Jackson, center, at the Pan-African Beach Day on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (Credit: Amy Perrette)

One hundred twenty five people attended the Sept. 13 event, including 55 people who took free surf lessons.

Under the sun and the occasional roar of an airplane taking off from the nearby Los Angeles International Airport, Rachal remembered that when he started the collective in 2012, many of the people who wanted to come out had never been to the beach. 

“We pivoted and started working with YMCAs and even the park system to provide free swim lessons as well. And it’s really been instrumental,” he said.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis from 2024, drowning rates for Black children ages 5 to 9 are 2.6 times higher than for white children. Researchers also found that the risks for Black children ages 10 to14 are even greater: they are 3.6 times more likely to drown than their white peers. 

For surfing instructor Lizelle Jackson, the beach is a place of healing. (Credit: Amy Perrette)

Surf instructor Lizelle Jackson says that when she started surfing she didn’t see many people who looked like her riding the waves, a trend she is eager to change. 

“There’s also this narrative that a lot of Black communities carry with them, of like, ‘Oh, we don’t do those things,’ or, you know, ‘Those are white-people activities,’” she said. 

Jackson said she volunteers her time because she wants to share the connection she feels with the ocean. 

“As you’re paddling and you’re riding these waves, it’s not only fun, right? It’s necessary; it’s healing,” she said.

Sydney Schleising is at the beach for her fifth surf lesson with the Black Surfers Collective. (Credit: Amy Perrette)

This was 26-year-old Sydney Schliesing’s fifth lesson with the collective.

“It’s definitely giving me more confidence to come,” she said. “I’ve gotten my own surfboard now, and I don’t think I would have that confidence if it wasn’t for them.”

She added, “What makes the Black Surfers Collective so cool and so different from just like a surfing lesson is the community that comes with it.”