The Current "Great Outdoors" Isn't For All

I am an outdoor advocate. I love visiting national parks, camping, hiking, climbing - everything about being in nature. I've always had this idea that nature and the outdoors brought people together. But I've recently discovered that couldn't be further from the truth.

Before 1964, Black Americans were banned from visiting any national parks or forests in the United States. That was a little over 55 years ago... Although the Civil Rights Act removed the ban, there are still people who live in the US today that remember not being able to visit a national or state park because of the color of their skin. This discrimination is still seen today by the marketing and advertising of any outdoor land or product which favors White Americans. According to a 2018 study from University of Pacific, "If you say over and over again that black folks don’t like parks because they’re not in the parks, the park service people begin to believe that and the black people begin to believe it themselves... It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, to a lot of people’s satisfaction, quite candidly." Must needed change has to occur within the national and state public lands management to allowed for diversity among visitors.

Having the access and means is not always a simple task for visiting the outdoors. Whenever I've planned a trip to go to a national park or forest, you have to plan to have your own transportation, proper research, time and money. Not all Americans have the time, the transportation or even the money it costs to visit the outdoors. Sometimes, just the price alone is too high for a family who are trying to spend a day visiting a park, thanks to individual and parking fees. Time-off is also a luxury as most American workers have a set number of hours or days to use throughout the year or you have to accrue them. If you aren't fortunate enough to only live a few hours from your closest park or forest, it can be impossible for planning.

Referring back to the 2018 University of Pacific study, participants were asked to describe why Black American may be fearful to visit national lands or parks. 66% of participants in the study discussed thoughts or experiences of trauma. One participant discussed this trauma as "post-traumatic slave syndrome" referring back to the slavery and lynching of the Jim Crow era, which often occurred in obscure wooded areas.

One of my earliest childhood memories is from grade school. There was this group of white boys and girls who would make up insane stories about the woods behind our elementary school. One year, it was a witch who took kids. Another year, it was a crazy man who escaped prison. Another year, it was a group of people in hoods. One of them claimed they saw them huddled in their backyard with torches. Obviously, we were all young with super active imaginations but that one story always stuck with me. As I grew older, I learned about the KKK and their headquarters and meeting spots throughout Georgia. The headquarters and smaller posts are still located in North Georgia in some of the national forests and park within the state. Now, I never found out if the kid was lying about seeing hooded figures but it is still highly possible. Even recently in 2020, Ahmaud Arbery of Brunswick, GA was out for a run and was shot and killed by two white supremacists. Christian Cooper, an active member of the birding community was confronted by a racist white woman in New York, claiming Cooper was "threatening her life" while simply asking her to put her dog on a leash. It is with these actions that POC who have the access to the outdoors, still don't want to venture.

The outdoors aren't just for white people. Outdoor activities aren't just for white people. The outdoors should be for all and the only way that we can make that happen is by providing a more inclusive experience. There is isn't reason that necessary outdoor materials like tents, jackets, climbing gear and more should cost near an arm and a leg to purchase. There is isn't reason that marketing materials for national or state parks should only represent white faces. If you're an outdoor advocate in any way, start advocating for more diversity among park management, diversity among visitors and for opportunities where transportation can become easier for those looking to visit the outdoors and for park fees to not cost someone's paycheck. Change the current inequality of POC to public lands. It's time to provide a safe, lower cost and inclusive environment for all outdoor enthusiasts.

If you're looking to support some groups advocating for a more diverse experience, please see some of them I have listed below:

Outdoor Afro - https://outdoorafro.com/

Latino Outdoors - https://latinooutdoors.org/

The Black Outdoors - https://www.theblackoutdoors.com/

Pride Outside - http://www.pride-outside.org/

Diversify Outdoors - https://www.diversifyoutdoors.com/

Latinxhikers - https://www.facebook.com/latinxhikers/

Brown Girls Climb - https://www.facebook.com/browngirlsclimb/

Resources for this piece came from:

https://www.resourcesmag.org/common-resources/diversity-in-the-great-outdoors-is-everyone-welcome-in-americas-parks-and-public-lands/

Retrospec - https://www.instagram.com/p/CBCFPQHl_p0/

Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash