The Sociological Lens Of Access

I love talking to certain people because they understand that activities and interests are not inherently “coloured.” So much of what we associate with race actually comes down to access—and who historically had access to participate.

Take skating, for example. People may call it a “white activity,” but is skating actually white? Or did certain communities simply have greater access to skating rinks, equipment, lessons, transportation, disposable income, and spaces where they felt welcomed?

If Black people had historically been given the same access and opportunities to participate, would skating still be considered a “white activity”? Or would we simply see it for what it is: an activity that people enjoy?

Sometimes what we racialize as an interest is actually the result of generations of unequal access, exclusion, representation, and opportunity. The activity itself was never white. Access was.