Jahmal Williams facts for kids

Jahmal Williams is a talented professional skateboarder, a creative artist, and the owner of a skate company. He grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and is known for his smooth, regular-footed skateboarding style.

Early Life and Learning

Jahmal Williams was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, by his mother, along with his four brothers and sisters. When he was a young boy in the 1980s, Jahmal enjoyed breakdancing and creating graffiti art. To keep himself busy and out of trouble, he started riding freestyle BMX bikes. One day, he took his bike to a local skatepark, and it was stolen. This event led Jahmal to buy his first skateboard in the summer of 1988. His mother also bought him a Thrasher magazine featuring the famous skater Tony Alva on the cover, which made him even more interested in skateboarding.

Later, in 1998, Jahmal received a special scholarship to attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts in Boston. He spent four years there, studying different art forms like drawing, sculpture, and painting.

Skateboarding Journey

Jahmal Williams' first sponsor was a local shop called Beacon Hill Skateshop. His big break came when T.V. Skateboards visited Whitman, Massachusetts, on a tour. Jahmal quickly became friends with the team and ended up joining them on their tour. The T.V. team included well-known skaters like Mike Vallely, Ed Templeton, Steve Berra, Ethan Fowler, Jerry Fowler, and Jahmal himself. Soon after, Jahmal became a professional skater for T.V.

After T.V. Skateboards closed down, Jahmal joined Ed Templeton's new company, Toy Machine. He rode for Toy Machine for several years. Later, Mike Vallely helped connect Jahmal with Powell Peralta, another famous skateboard company. Jahmal skated for Powell for a number of years before moving on.

Jahmal has appeared in many skate videos over the years, showing off his unique style. Here are some of the videos he has been featured in:

Hopps Skateboards

In 2007, Jahmal Williams decided to start his very own skateboard company, which he named Hopps Skateboards.