The film ‘United Skates’ was great. I sat down and watched it with my friend Tolani on her computer. The over policing of the skating rink shows how the bar is on the floor. These communities continue to be over-policed in even the most seemingly innocent of places. This and the closing of the shops breaks my heart and greatly saddens me. Kids and adults deserve places to go and hangout and have fun.
-It has also been crazy to me the large amount of renewed interest in roller skating because of the pandemic, but also the rising popularity of skating due to tik tok and other social media platforms. It makes me want to start skating around.
–After the film, we discussed the film and how we felt about it. I learned that GRF Ferra also is from Atlanta and grew up roller skating. What a small world!! A lot of my birthday parties as a kid were at roller rinks. I love roller skating and feel for those who can no longer experience this.
Hey Bestie Adin! I’m glad I got the opportunity to watch this film with Adin. This film just reiterates the idea that race is embedded in all of our society. The roller skating rink is a place for Black people in the community to relax and come together. However, racist policing has ruined this social event. I agree, there’s definitely been a rise in roller skating due to tik tok trends. However, I wonder what that means in terms of the actual rinks? Do these tik toks have the power to reopen these skating rinks?