Brujas (skate crew)

Brujas is an all-female skate collective based in the Bronx, New York. The group was founded by Arianna Gil and several other skaters in 2014. Since beginning to host skate hangouts for women of color who felt excluded from the male-dominated skate culture, they have also gotten involved with community organizing and political activism.[1][2]

The name "Brujas" (witches in Spanish) derived from a 1986 cult video called Skate Witches that depicted three punk female skaters pushing boys off their skate boards and stealing them. About their name, Gil mentioned, "We are intersectional feminists who are interested in spirituality and the tradition of brujería (witchcraft) in our culture. So there was more going on than just that little YouTube video."[3]

Activism

In 2016 they created Brujas x 1971, a limited edition streetwear line that was funded through Kickstarter.[4] Named after the year of the Attica prisoner uprising, the line of simple graphic tees and shorts raised money for anti-prison advocacy. "We see 1971 as a combination of both the political DIY cultures that we were radicalized in the Lower East Side, anarchist organizing where people sell T-shirts and throw parties to get their friends out of prison, and the really brash street and skate wear aesthetics that have been developing for ages," said Izzy Nastasia a Bruja member.[5]

Their work has attracted the attention of the art world. In 2016 the New Museum in New York hosted Scamming the Patriarchy: A Youth Summit that included Brujas as one of the organizers along with By Us For Us (BUFU), Discwoman and House of LaDosha. About their work, Sara O'Keeffe, assistant curator of the New Museum mentioned, "Brujas is a critical voice among an emerging generation of artists, writers and activists who are propelling conversations about politics and forging spaces for empowerment."

References

  1. ↑ Remnick, Noah (2016-07-29). "Sisterhood of the Skateboard". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  2. ↑ Dazed (2015-11-27). "Meet the 'skate witches' fighting NYC's gentrification". Dazed. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  3. ↑ "Meet Brujas: The Feminist Skate Crew From the Bronx We've All Been Waiting For". Vogue. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  4. ↑ Petrarca, Emilia. "These Witchy Punks Are Behind a New Virgil Abloh-Approved Street Wear Label". W Magazine. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  5. ↑ Hine, Samuel (2016-11-17). "Wearing NYC's Coolest New Streetwear Brand Is its Own Form of Political Activism". GQ. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
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