“THERE’S A MYTH THAT PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE ME DON’T HAVE A CONNECTION TO NATURE.”
You began by training trip leaders by conference call, and now you hold an annual retreat. What makes a great Outdoor Afro trip leader?
Someone who has a heart and can connect. Participants on these trips may be going to a place they’ve never been, to do an activity they’ve never done, with people they’ve never met. They trust us with these firsts, and we want to honor that by making everybody feel welcome, seen, and cared for. That’s a key to our success.
Why do you focus on leadership training—versus just getting people exposed to the outdoors? People tell me time and time again that they appreciate hav- ing leadership that looks like their community. There are many nature-based school groups and programs with black and brown participants, but the trip leaders or class teach- ers—the ones with all the knowledge—are not people from the community. We’re here to shake that up a bit. It’s inspir- ing to learn about birds, wildlife, and native plant restoration from African Americans. We’re starting to shift the visual representation of what getting out into nature looks like—not only who can be in nature, but who can lead. I have seen so many examples of people who come out of Outdoor Afro leadership awakened to a whole different set of possibilities. They’ve been turned on to conservation, ecology, public speaking, and working for nonprofit organizations. We are helping to change the face of conservation, one relation- ship at a time.
Camp Whispering Pines in Wake County, North Carolina, 1941.
What do your kids think about all this? I think a lot about the sacrifices they’ve made. Back when I was in school, they’d cry when I left to go to class. We had no idea what was on the other side of that, that it would become something as transformative as Outdoor Afro. My kids are 19, 14, and 13 now. They have been by my side, championing me, telling the story. My work allows me to include them in almost everything that I do—and they love the outdoors!
What’s your advice to other parents for raising nature- loving kids? Trust them. And trust nature. We can be overprotective: we don’t want our kids to take risks, we don’t want them to get hurt. But kids are going to test their limits. Little scrapes and moments of uncertainty are there to help kids learn who they are. Nature is a generous teacher; it’s there for all of us.
What are you working toward now? My big, audacious goal for Outdoor Afro is to bring outdoor leadership back to the home. You can take a kid from a low- income area and offer them one high-adventure experience in pristine nature—but then what happens when it’s over? I’m not hearing good enough answers, and that’s why Outdoor Afro is focused on empowering everyday people—moms, dads, grandmas—to lead in the outdoors. We’re in the business of culture shift. There are all these
little indicators that we’re moving in the right direction—even this conversation wouldn’t have happened 10 years ago. I’m seeing a change in how we’re talking about communities of color in the outdoors and whose voices are getting heard. But I think true success will happen so quietly that you won’t even notice. No balloons, no parade … just a moment of transfor- mation. We’ll see all communities enjoying nature as a part of everyday life, and it’ll be no big deal.
INSIGHT · 29
used courtesy north carolina state university, raleigh, north carolina
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68