ABSTRACT
Eva1 sits comfortably, grabs a handful of sand, squeezes the tiny grains and lets them fall like an hour class glass through her 11 year old hands. She grabs another handful and says “I like it here; I feel like more relaxed, like there’s more space or whatever.” This is her fifth and final day of surf camp; next week she goes back to spending her days at the recreational youth center in South Central, Los Angeles2 where she lives with her mom and aunt. It has been a brief, but memorable break from the city. She likes her neighborhood but there are not that many opportunities to play outside. Although the crime rate has dropped over the last decade, most parents do not let their kids play by themselves at the parks because gangs still hang out there. So while she can play out on the sidewalk in front of her house, it does not evoke the same feeling that the ocean does. The beach is less than 20 miles from her apartment, but she, like most other children of color living in the inner city, cannot get there.
