Black Voices and the Outdoors
To be allies in standing up for Black lives, we are suspending our online promotion of National Trails Day (our annual community festival had been canceled weeks ago due to Covid-19). Instead, we are showcasing Black voices in the outdoor community and sharing articles, books and podcasts that explore racism and the outdoors.
Trails are still open and we still encourage you to get outside and use them today and everyday. During these challenging and stressful times, we could all use some of the comfort that nature has to offer.
FOLLOW:
Outdoor Afro
The Instagram account for the nation’s leading, cutting edge network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature.
Outdoor Afro Charlotte
The local meet-up group of the national organization.
Melanin Base Camp
Website, blog and Instagram channel sharing stories of outdoorsy black, indigenous and people of color. It also features a guide to outdoor allyship.
Unlikely Hikers
A diverse and inclusive Instagram community featuring the underrepresented outdoorsperson and a new podcast.
LISTEN:
Code Switch: Episode 2: Made for You and Me
NPR podcast explores what it means to be a person of color outdoors.
Creation Care: Black History Lesson
Catawba Lands Conservancy Board Member CT Anderson interviews Outdoor Afro Charlotte’s local leader.
Outside Voices
A podcast series featuring personal stories from Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ folks and others who redefine “outdoorsy”.
READ:
The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors by James Mills
Chronicles the first all-African American summit attempt on Denali, the highest point in North America and uses it as a jumping-off point to explore how minority populations view their place in wild environments.
Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors by Carolyn Finney
Carolyn Finney looks beyond the discourse of the environmental justice movement to examine how the natural environment has been understood, commodified, and represented by both white and black Americans.
The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection by Dorceta E. Taylor
This sweeping social history examines the emergence and rise of the multifaceted U.S. conservation movement and shows how race, class, and gender influenced every aspect of the movement.
Outside Magazine: Going it Alone
Eritrean-American writer Rahawa Haile recounts her experience thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Outside Magazine: The Green Movement Is Talking About Racism? It’s About Time
This magazine article uncovers the antagonistic attitudes toward race and social justice held by the people and organizations we admire for protecting our wild places.
More resources on racism in the outdoors from American Hiking Society.