FEATURES AND INTERVIEWS
The other Tyre Nichols video
SF Chronicle Op-Ed by Neftalie Williams / Feb. 19, 2023
The ability to move freely is the dream of every human being, but hardly any of us truly experience it. Tyre Nichols was one of the few in this life to find a sliver of freedom — and he did it through skateboarding.
Skate Park in New Haven Aims to Bring Community Together
NBC Connecticut By Matt Finkel / October 14, 2021
A new skateboarding facility has made its way to New Haven and it's going to be much more than a place for local skaters to show off their skills.
The ‘Californization’ of the Olympics: A look at why California has long been a dominant athletic and cultural force at the Games
NY Times by Jill Cowan / Jul 23, 2021
A look at why California has long been a dominant athletic and cultural force at the Games. Good morning.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: If California were its own country, it would rank fifth in an Olympic medal count.
The Olympic Debut of Surfing and Skateboarding, Their Ties With California Culture
KPCC Airtalk with Larry Mantle / Jul. 22, 2021
Click to listen - begins at (1:11:40)
Surfing, skateboarding shape Tokyo Olympics in SoCal’s image
LA Times by David Wharton / Jul. 18, 2021
With the addition of surfing and skateboarding, the Olympics are riding the crest of California cool….The IOC knows the latter two iterations are far more accessible to kids around the world. “Not everyone has a vert ramp to skate or a mini-ramp in their backyard,” says Neftalie Williams, a USC post-doctoral scholar and Yale visiting fellow who studies skateboard culture. “Do [Olympic officials] want to change and have a younger demographic and be more relevant? There is a potential for that.”
The Olympics' newest sports poised to break barriers for women, minorities
ABC News by Ivan Peirera / Jul. 12, 2021
Sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding's introduction into Olympic spotlight will expose the sports to a new, diverse generation. The Tokyo Olympics will expand its lineup of competitions with three sports that have long been championed for recognition on the global stage: skateboarding, surfing and indoor climbing.
How Skateboarding Culture Can Help Fight Racism
Inside the Issues by Ariel Wesler / Jul. 25, 2020
On a Friday afternoon, Charlie Harmony is practicing a few moves. He’s been skateboarding since he was in high school and tries to get out to Venice Beach two to three times a week just for fun. "I never really fit in in high school and so once I played Tony Hawk Pro Skater, basically is when I felt like I belonged to something, felt accepted by something," Harmony said.
The Huddle: Skateboarding's New Deck Designed For Positive Change
Global Sport Matters by Andrew Ramsammy / Jun. 27, 2020
A first-of-its-kind study of skateboarding culture reveals that skateboarding improves mental health, fosters community, and encourages diversity and resilience. We sit down with Neftalie Williams, co-author of the study Beyond the Board, and Kim Woozy from Skate Like a Girl.
How Skateboarding Can Help Fight Racism: A recent U.S.C. study about the sport takes on new urgency.
The New York Times by Jill Cowan / Jun. 18, 2020
In early March, I talked with a pair of researchers at the University of Southern California who had recently published a study — funded by the Tony Hawk Foundation — showing how skateboarding helps build resilience among young skaters, and helps them form communities across backgrounds.
Skateboarding improves mental health, helps build diverse relationships, USC study says
Los Angeles Times / Feb. 26, 2020
USC researchers have found multiple benefits in skateboarding, ranging from mental health to education and careers, the university announced Wednesday. A first-of-its-kind study of skateboarding culture found the sport improves mental health, fosters community and encourages diversity and resilience, according to USC. Neftalie Williams, a scholar in race and skateboarding culture, served as a researcher and co-author on the project.
Skateboarding is 60
BBC World Service by Clare Salisbury / Jul. 22, 2018
Rodney Mullen, inventor. Stacy Peralta, movie director. Mimi Knoop, entrepreneur. Neftalie Williams, academic. Iain Borden, Professor of architecture. Cindy Whitehead, business woman. Mat Lloyd, poet… What do they have in common? They’re skateboarders.
Meet the Diplomat-Skateboarders of Havana
The Atlantic by Greyson Korhonen / Oct. 30, 2015
In Havana, Cuba, teens are grinding the rails on American skateboards—even though there are no skate shops on the island. The exchange of skateboarding equipment started informally, after Miles Jackson and Lauren Bradley saw a desire among youth for the sport while studying abroad in Havana. They formed the organization Cuba Skate, with the aim of growing and supporting the Cuban skateboarding community by providing access to equipment. We spent a few days alongside Cuba Skate to uncover the roots of Cuban skateboarding and the passion that helps bridge the cultural divide.
This U.S. Sports Envoy Is Bridging Communities With Skateboarding
NBC News by Kristi Eaton / Aug. 11, 2017
William’s program in Cambodia was a first in the country for the State Department, […] During the multi-day series, he discussed skateboarding culture and how it can be a positive pathway for academics and physical activity. Clinics and demonstrations were also held for the kids, some of whom had never been on a skateboard before, according to Williams.
Neftalie Williams: Skateboarding Is a 'Tool for Cultural Diplomacy'
Voice of America / Jan. 04, 2017
Neftalie Williams is a researcher and lecturer with the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC). He teaches a course called “Skateboarding and Action Sports in Business Media and Culture.” […] He is the first professor in the United States to teach the sport.
Meet the skateboarding diplomat inspiring kids to get educated
The AM Show with Duncan Garner by Matt Burrows / Jun. 09, 2017
There are many ways to promote diplomacy, Neftalie Williams is doing it with four wheels and a board. Fresh from his skateboarding envoy trip to Cambodia, he spoke to Duncan this morning.
USC skateboarding course merges business and fun
KABC7 NEWS by Curt Sandoval / Dec. 3, 2016
The University of Southern California continued their strong tradition of academic innovation and entrepreneurship through the newly offered course, "skateboarding business and culture." The class is taught in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and takes advantage of skateboarders' ability to create their own content. "Through this class, I learned about the structure of the skateboarding world, like more of the business world, because we were able to bring in individuals who had many different titles... from CEOs to professional skaters to photojournalists," student Leah Rubi said.
Interest in skateboarding as an Olympic sport ramps up
KPCC 89.3 SCPR ‘Take Two’ by Julian Burrell and Alex Cohen / Aug. 03, 2016
The Summer Olympics get underway in Rio, Brazil this week, but already, there's interest in the 2020 Tokyo game. The International Olympics Committee has voted to include a number of new sports in the next Olympiad: Surfing, rock climbing, karate, baseball, softball and... skateboarding
The inclusion of that last sport is especially exciting to Neftalie Williams*. He's not just an avid skater,. In 2015 he led the first-ever skateboarding class to be taught at a major university; namely the University of Southern California.
Skateboard diplomacy: A D.C. group’s plan to help thaw relations with Cuba
Washington Post by Elizabeth Koh / Aug. 24, 2015
Secretary of State John F. Kerry visited Cuba last week to raise the American flag on Cuban soil for the first time in a half-century, marking last month’s restoration of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States. […] “I look at how ping-pong was for Nixon,” said Neftalie Williams, Cuba Skate’s chairman, referring to the 1971 exchange of table-tennis players that preceded the president’s visit to China. “Skate diplomacy can be that kind of diplomacy.”
USC Offers Skateboarding Class
KNBC-4 by Mario Solis / Sept. 15, 2016
USC launches skateboarding 101. Mario Solis reports for the NBC4 News at 5 on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016.
What skaters can teach us about U.S.-Cuba diplomacy
PBS News Hour by Alexandra Hall and Justin Scuiletti / Sept. 22, 2015
Raciel Pereda Bernet’s first skateboard was already in bad shape by the time he bought it from a girl in Havana for the equivalent of $45 U.S. dollars. Like all skateboards in Cuba, it came from “the outside” — meaning, outside of the island where all trade with the U.S. had been cut off for decades. “They all come from the outside,” Bernet said.[…] Cultural exchange between skaters in the U.S. and other countries can help improve relations between nations from the bottom up, according to Neftalie Williams, Cuba Skate’s Chair and Researcher at USC Annenberg’s Institute of Sports, Media and Society. Williams compared the potential of skate diplomacy with the role that ping-pong played in restoring U.S.-Chinese relations in the early 1970’s.
The Professor of Skateboarding. Really.
Yahoo Sports! & OZY by J.Y. Lee / Aug. 2, 2016
The dreamiest dream job is the one that you design for yourself, and by that standard, Neftalie Williams is winning at life. He has made an academic career out of skateboarding. Specialty? Skateboarding diplomacy. Last year, he taught the first skateboarding class at a major American university — the University of Southern California.
Meet the USC Professor Who Wants to Solve the World's Problems with Skateboarding
Vice Sports by Michael Brice-Saddler / Jul. 27, 2016
Dimitri Melendez was the president of the University of Southern California skateboarding club, but even he was able to learn something new from a class called "Skateboarding and Action Sports in Business, Media, and Culture" during the fall semester of his senior year. The course is the first of its kind in the country in how it explores concepts like gender, race, economics, and business through the lens of skateboarding. "No one really thinks about that type of stuff with skateboarding because it's so free and not really structured," he said. "People usually think of your typical Santa Monica white boy when it comes to skating, but nowadays—especially in Los Angeles—it's very diverse."
At USC, Skater-Slash-Professor Neftalie Williams Examines Skateboarding As a Tool for Cultural Diplomacy
The Inertia by Chase Scheinbaum / Jan. 19, 2017
Any skateboarder knows the University of Southern California is a solid place to skate — the Los Angeles school’s waxed-up ledges are actually somewhat iconic street. Fewer might realize that it’s the only place to get an education in skateboarding as a tool for diplomacy, where students use it as a lens through which to understand issues of race, class, gender, and youth empowerment. […] Williams, a skate industry veteran and academic researcher, is the first in the country to lecture about skateboarding. Classroom guests have included legendary skaters Rodney Mullen, Vanessa Torres, Joey Brezinski, as well as Sal Masekela, and Vans founder Steve Van Doren.
Skateboarding:The Olympics
Top of Mind with Julie Rose / Sept. 1, 2016
The next time the Summer Olympics roll around – that’ll be 2020 in Tokyo – skateboarding will be part of the games. To see skateboarding get the official Olympic sport seal of approval might surprise anyone who considers the kids doing tricks on curbs and handrails around town a public nuisance. The more surprising thing is that lots of skateboarders want nothing to do with the Olympics or even the title of “sport” applied to what they do.
Can action sports help make a better world?
Nine To Noon / Sept. 27, 2017
Skateboarding, surfing and other action sports are starting to play a role in social development, community building and even peacemaking around the world[…].The global ethos of skateboarding is that skaters support each other, explore spaces together and have fun together. Generally, the skating community is open to diverse groups coming in and adding to the fabric of their culture, so in this way it can be a powerful tool for diplomacy, he says.
"It doesn't matter where we're at in the world you'll see that bond between all skateboarders."
Looking Sideways #49 : NEFTALIE WILLIAMS/BRIDGING THE GAPS
Looking Sideways by Matt Barr / Apr. 29, 2019
“Skateboarders should be everywhere. Because we’re a reflection of the culture. So we should make sure we’re part of every institution there is”.
I’ve had some pretty progressive guests on this show. But I think this week’s guest, Neftalie Williams, might just be the most visionary of all. Just check the list of accomplishments that make up one of the most impressive CVs in skateboarding.
Reimagining the world through skateboarding
Black Voice News by S.E. Williams / Aug. 8, 2016
Skateboarding has actually impacted culture for a long time. The real question, according to Williams is—how do you push it further? “How do we encourage more women to get involved. How do we create partnerships on the local and global level?” Williams sees skateboarding and its ability to influence society as an entire ecosystem. Not only does it engage youth at their level, it is a source of expanded diversity that includes both male and female, all races, all socio economic classes and crosses international boundaries in such a way—it becomes an organic, international common denominator in an ever-shrinking world.