Why aren’t there more people of color enjoying the outdoors? To kick-start a frank and ongoing dialogue on this topic, we gathered an all-star cast of leaders in the fight to ensure diversity in the landscape: longtime conservation advocate Audrey Peterman, retired national-parks superintendent Gerard Baker, prairie-restoration guru Jarid Manos, and youth organizer Juan Martinez. Our moderator, NatureBridge board chairman Stephen Lockhart, steered the wide-ranging 90-minute discussion, in which, thankfully, none of our panelists pulled any punches—even when it came to Outside itself.
Stephen Lockhart: Why should this issue even matter? We face so many other struggles every day: economic challenges, education, social justice. What puts the outdoors on the top-ten list?
Juan Martinez: In my previous job, I was a housing-rights organizer. How do you explain to a single mom with three kids, living on welfare and about to be evicted, that nature should be a part of her and her children’s lives? It really made me more aware of what the messaging was around our connecting with nature. Conservation traditionally calls for an exclusion of people from the land. But how can somebody conserve something if they don’t understand what they’re conserving? We focus a lot on creating something that’s not there, and that’s the wrong way to engage communities.
I’m speaking from the Latino community. We have a connection with nature; it’s just in a different way. Look at family gatherings: A lot of communities have a hard time accommodating their extended families in apartments or houses, so where do they go? They go to local parks. If you go to any pier on any weekend here in L.A., you see the fishing lines over the harbor, and you see a lot of cultural diversity: African-American, Asian-American, and Latino. Our connection to nature has been and continues to be there, but there is some guidance that needs to happen. We need to be more a part of the fabric.
Audrey Peterman: Many people have said to me about the outdoors over the years, “Black people don’t do that.” I saw my first national park in 1995; it was Acadia, in Maine. I saw that expansive, untouched beauty, and that experience has not left me. I compare it to living in a mansion. Until that time, I’d only seen the kitchen, which is very serviceable, but then I felt like I had wandered into the grand living room. Oh, my God! That’s what people need to remind themselves of: who we are as human beings and who we are as a country.
Jarid Manos: The stereotype that we don’t care about the environment is a complete falsehood. People want access. People want work. They want green space and healthier communities. It’s a matter of letting people make those connections and helping them through. Even if we’re in the ’hood, we still live on the prairie.
Gerard Baker: I started out working in North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park as a district ranger in the same area my people traditionally claimed as their territory. I spent many hours on horseback, and I had two thoughts when I would sit on high peaks and look out over the wilderness. One was: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The second was sadness. Because from the American Indian standpoint, 100 percent of the American Indians got chased out of these areas. I saw eagle-trapping pits; I saw tepee areas that were still standing after a couple hundred years. To think that this was our area—where we could come to pray, to live—and we had that taken away from us. Now we have to pay to get back to our own land.
It’s a generational thing. My mom and dad were outstandingly bitter. With my generation it’s getting easier, and my kids and grandkids will hardly think about it anymore. Our next obligation is to get our people back on that land, to educate the young as to exactly what happened from a historical standpoint and to look at both sides. Then we’ll have a better feeling about returning to those lands we now call our national parks.
Comments
I think you should cater to the majority of your subscribers like any good business should. They pay the bills and buy the products your sponsors advertise. Don't get caught up in the blame game. It's a no win situation. Daniel
Flag This"People of color don’t see themselves in the picture. When I see someone like me in the picture, then it’s talking to me—it’s diverse, it’s inclusive. Otherwise it’s talking to the white majority." The problem is YOU! I don't think many of the "white majority" (as you call them) wring their hands and worry too much that 80% of the players in the NBA are black, they simply watch and enjoy the game. "She looked at 44 issues of Outside magazine over a ten-year period, from 1991 to 2001, and found that, of 6,986 pictures, 4,602 contained people, but only 103 were of African-Americans." Wow! I'm shocked! SHOCKED! A white liberal at Berkely with too much time on her hands! I wonder what the level of "diversity" in Carolyn Finney's neighborhood is? Could she provide us with her zip code? What school does she send her children to?
Flag ThisI wouldn't call it the blame game, and in terms of running a business, if you can widen your audience and invite more subscribers because they see themselves in the pages then why not? There are people of all colors in the outdoors and I would say that should be encouraged. I benefited from an Outward Bound course that really changed the way that I look at the world (25 years ago) -- I was watching a show on PBS as a teenager and saw other kids that looked like me and felt encouraged and invited to participate -- which I did. So I don't think this rises to the level of an active on-going effort, but as a former magazine exec I would know it wouldn't take me much effort to find compelling stories that would be interesting to all of Outside readers. John www.very.fm
Flag ThisFirst, thanks to Outside for printing this important story. And, this is one of hundreds like it that have been printed in various popular magazines over the last 20 yrs. They are all important; as many people are aware, this is not a new conversation - The fact this dialogue persists shows the value. Second, I wonder why Wade has elected to misinterpret the context of this article and exhibit disrespect? Demographics of this country are changing dramatically and many organizations will be left behind if there isn't a deeper understanding of these vital facts, the comprehension of cultural connections to nature/the outdoors, and knowledge of the increasing spending power of minorities across the country, to name a few. Last, Dr. Carolyn Finney is not white, rather African American - Furthermore, she is one of the greatest scholars out there. The world needs more talented educators and researchers like Dr. Finney. Last, I love what Jarid said: "Even if we’re in the hood, we still live on the prairie." Can I get an Amen!?
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Flag ThisAmen to NSR! An important topic, important research, and I appreciated the article. I am always puzzled by reactions like that of Mr. Nichols. Perhaps the subject matter hit a nerve.
Flag ThisI was in Yosemite over the weekend and I met a wonderful couple of mixed races. Although this is not common, I have been told that not all people like cold weather and Yosemite was covered in snow at high altitudes. This couple was delightful and we exchanged business cards with plans for future encounters. All I can say is, VENTURE OUT and visit our National Parks, which are treasures.
Flag ThisThis is important simply because people of color are not comfortable in the parks of their homeland and this need to change. I have personally witnessed this discomfort and I am glad that it is not under the carpet anymore, the subtleties revealed. Advertising, employment, promotion, inclusion, local businesses all use subtle exclusionary techniques that are really quite shameful. The separation and loneliness felt by an African American in the Tetons, the anger on the face of a Native American made invisible and nonexistent on the boundaries of his homeland; it is shameful to do this to these people.
Flag ThisPeople of color are not "comfortable" in several other outdoor activities/conditions as well, Why? ( Even though they might not be explicitly excluded in advertising, employment, promotion...etc.).For example, in the Super Ball, You will see 95+% of spectators (consumers of leisure/entertainments) are Caucasians, yet more than 50+ of the players in the field are African-Americans, Why? In Hockey /figure skating rinks, golfing courses, airports… and many other “high-end” entertaining/business fields, you may have identified the similar phenomena –predominantly Caucasian consumers/managers with colored service-people, and why?
Flag ThisPeople of color are not "comfortable" in several other outdoor activities/conditions as well, Why? ( Even though they might not be explicitly excluded in advertising, employment, promotion...etc.).For example, in the Super Ball, You will see 95+% of spectators (consumers of leisure/entertainments) are Caucasians, yet more than 50+ of the players in the field are African-Americans, Why? In Hockey /figure skating rinks, golfing courses, airports… and many other “high-end” entertaining/business fields, you may have identified the similar phenomena –predominantly Caucasian consumers/managers with colored service-people, and why?
Flag ThisWow - would have been a really good article if it didn't seek to skew info. Caption under photo - Of 6,986 photos that appeared in 44 issues of Outside between 1991 and 2001, only 103 showed African-Americans - okay, my 1st thought - how many of the 6986 actually included people? According to the article that would be 4,602. Hmmm...keeping with the theme of the article - how many are pics of people of COLOR? not just african americans? And then, another thought - why are we using a period that starts 20 years ago? What does the representation look like in the last 10 yrs? There is more inclusiveness in all aspects of outdoors - marketing, employment, etc. Keep moving us forward people!
Flag ThisWow - would have been a really good article if it didn't seek to skew info. Caption under photo - Of 6,986 photos that appeared in 44 issues of Outside between 1991 and 2001, only 103 showed African-Americans - okay, my 1st thought - how many of the 6986 actually included people? According to the article that would be 4,602. Hmmm...keeping with the theme of the article - how many are pics of people of COLOR? not just african americans? And then, another thought - why are we using a period that starts 20 years ago? What does the representation look like in the last 10 yrs? There is more inclusiveness in all aspects of outdoors - marketing, employment, etc. Keep moving us forward people!
Flag ThisConsidering that "people of color" will soon, if they aren't already, be in the majority, it's not as if their presence isn't already front and center everywhere. There are State Parks that already have a majority visitation consisting of "people of color." I know that I, for one, am getting sooooo sick and tired of the tiresome race card. It's been 60 years since the 1950's folks. Let's move forward, back some new cause and stop the anxiety over the supposed lack of representation of "people of color."
Flag ThisConsidering that "people of color" will soon, if they aren't already, be in the majority, it's not as if their presence isn't already front and center everywhere. There are State Parks that already have a majority visitation consisting of "people of color." I know that I, for one, am getting sooooo sick and tired of the tiresome race card. It's been 60 years since the 1950's folks. Let's move forward, back some new cause and stop the anxiety over the supposed lack of representation of "people of color."
Flag ThisI spend hours looking for publish-able images of ethnically diverse people being active outdoors. These types of images are rare. It would help if professional photographers were involved in this discussion, if publishers requested and paid for ethnically diverse models for such photo shoots, and if ethnically diverse people felt comfortable being models for outdoors photo shoots--or better yet, became skilled outdoors photographers and sold photos of family and friends on stock image websites. That's the reality of what needs to happen on the ground in order to depict people of color in nature more often in publications. These shots don't usually happen just because a person of color happens to be out in nature at the right moment when a professional photographer happens to be taking a shot, nope, photo buyers need to care enough to fund it to make it happen.
Flag ThisI am a Native American woman, who has enjoyed outdoor activities such as snowboarding, fishing, mountain biking, and hiking since I was a child. With the exception of fishing, I have only encountered one other Native snowboarding, and one other Native mountain biking. Regardless of ethnic demographics in the overall American population, the woods ARE empty of people of color, and it is with stories like this that perhaps that can change. White people need to be aware that the outdoor industry has not been inclusive of people of different ethnicity, from magazines, to sponsored outdoor events, to the very shops where we purchase our gear. People of different ethnicity must be brave, and take those first few steps into their national parks. Good for you, Outside, for keeping this discussion going.
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