The world as a whole has been dealing with racism of all types for millennia. It’s largely perceived as non-existent in the BMX community, a bubble separate from the real world. What are your thoughts on that?
BMX to me is a thing that brings all cultures together. In the bubble of BMX, I still dealt with exposure to racism from time to time. It’s very unfortunate, but that’s just the way it is, dealing with people that are probably uncultured. I grew up in New York City, so I was exposed to a wide range of people from different backgrounds. Me and my homies didn’t see colors; we had the same goal- have a good time on a bike. In like 2003 I went to Sheffield UK for the Backyard Jam. I was probably the only black dude there. During practice, kids were drinking super-early. Someone threw the N-word from the stands. I got mad; I’m just here doing the same thing those guys were. I was about to get into an altercation, but I decided to control myself and realize that they just don’t really know what’s going on and were probably drunk. It kind of bummed me out. I’ve dealt with that kind of shit from time to time. I’m surprised it didn’t happen more. I’ve been the only black dude on a lot of trips; I tried not to think about it, but that’s just the reality of it.
Do you think any prevailing issues are more of a regional thing, like more rural or in cities?
In my experience, I’ve never had it happen in New York City. I’ve been good in cities. If you go to these different little spots that don’t really have diversity, then racism may be more prevalent. It’s a weird thing; I never really spoke about it before. That being said, that’s why I don’t go to the South. (Laughs) I always had that back in my mind; go down South, do anything, and they are going to come at you. Gotta be careful. Every time I go anywhere, I just gotta be on point, because I don’t want to be singled out for some bullshit.