The protests that have swept the country and the world these last few weeks have largely happened in the streets. But last Friday, a group of demonstrators in Santa Monica decided to do things differently, heading into the ocean to memorialize the life of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality.

It was a “paddle out” organized, in part, by Black Girls Surf — a group that promotes surfing among girls and women of color. The founder is activist and surfer Rhonda Harper, who is based in Senegal…