The United Skates had me feeling a roller coaster of emotions. Prior to watching the film, the word roller skating meant nothing to me; unfortunately, I don’t know how to roller skate and the only thing that the activity made me think of was a friend’s birthday party that was at a roller rink back when I was in elementary school. Needless to say, I knew nothing of the history behind roller skating or the rich culture in skating. Initially while watching the film I couldn’t help but smile. The environment of the rinks was so lively and welcoming that it really reminded me of home. I come from a large family who loves to dance. So, for me, summer weekends growing up were filled with barbeque nights at my cousins and family friends’ houses where all my aunts, uncles, and older cousins gathered to drink and dance all night to various genres of Latin American music. Therefore, watching the joy and fun that the black community had when they gathered to roller skate gave me such a nostalgic feeling of my childhood.
However, as the movie progressed and the blatant discrimination against the African American community tore through the lives of the rinks across the country, I grew both angry and sad. While the film ended on an optimistic note about the revival of some of these rinks, I couldn’t help but feel especially emotional for the communities and everything they’ve lost. However, I’m glad to have been able to watch the film and now spread awareness to those around me about this rich culture and history that unfortunately only continues to live on for many as past memories.
This film displayed a message through an artistic way rather than blatantly mentioning the message, and I feel that this is incredibly powerful and creative. I love when pieces of art display messages in unique ways, and I feel that this film was able to have a concrete impact on yourself because of the way that it was so uniquely displayed. I loved learning about your takeaways from this film and that you are now able to spread awareness.
Thank you for sharing your reflection on this film! I have never watched the film and before reading your blog post felt the same way that the word roller skating didn’t hold much special meaning. I loved reading your description of how special the roller skating rinks are to communities and the bonds people have formed around them. I hope that more of the rinks can be revived and that others can continue spreading awareness too!