Making black people feel part of Florida's beach culture

Available for over a year

Florida sells itself as a holiday destinations where all kinds of people can come and enjoy its beaches but not everyone was always welcome here. Many African Americans in particular still deal with the lingering effects of a racist past that denied them the pleasures of beach life. BBC reporter Luis Fajardo has been on Delray Beach, a resort town near Miami, where a local activist, Maurice “Maui” Goodbeer, is helping young African Americans access the beach lifestyle from which their community was long excluded. Maurice “Maui” Goodbeer, a 'soul surfer' from San Diego, California, has dedicated his life to bringing youth from under-served communities out to the ocean to swim, surf and sail. He describes how the murder of his brother inspired him to help bring people who may traditionally have felt excluded onto the beaches. Although the beaches were out of bounds for African Americans in the 1960s, the Miami shoreline is now more welcoming and a beach visitor says, "this is a testament to how we're trying to turn a corner on many things." Photo: A young surfer takes to the waves on Florida's shoreline Credit: Streetwaves