New series highlights Black figure skaters

Though there are a handful of Black players in the NHL and there have been occasional Black figure skating champions like Debi Thomas, it is still not exactly that commonplace to see a lot of Black ice skaters. That’s precisely why a new series focusing on that subject is now airing on Disney +. “Harlem Ice” is directed by Samantha Knowles, who previously spearheaded projects like “Black and Missing” and “How We Get Free.” It’s a five-part series that follows the girls of Figure Skating in Harlem, a figure skating program designed for young women of color. It captures the girls as they prepare for competitions, performances, and a life-changing global experience. The program debuted last week, and Knowles spoke with the website Blavity’s Shadow and Act about her process of realizing these girls’ stories. She also talked about the personal impact of the series, as well as Marsai Martin‘s viral comments about the industry’s struggle to promote Black content. “When I first heard about the project, the first thing I learned about the organization was that it was this figure skating program with a competitive division for young girls of color,” Knowles said. “I had participated in a similar...