Welcome to the Inaugural Edition of the Outdoor Afro Blog Carnival!
Wooo hooo….confetti falls…
So what is a Blog Carnival anyway? Well, I learned it is a terrific way to spread your blog wings into new topics, while connecting with more people. And that’s all I needed to know before signing up! But I also recognized the term ‘carnival’ has a cultural meaning for some that is different than the experience of a spin on the ol’ ferris wheel. So I decided to honor the festive connotation of another kind of Carnival with this image:
NOT a Ferris Wheel!
But this carnival you are reading now (assuming you are not still staring the picture above) is actually a sampling of topics near and dear to the Outdoor Afro community: youth, environment, and getting outdoors. Each carnival contributor offers fresh and insightful views around these topics, and a window into their larger body of digital or academic work. I hope you’ll visit each of the contributor’s sites and become fans.
It’s about the youth…
Speaking of fans…DNLee is someone I have followed for the last several months, and I was thrilled to share her blog during my presentation at the Breaking the Color Barrier Conference in Atlanta last fall to a crowd who was wowed by her efforts to expose more people to the practical wonders of STEM. Today, she presents Urban Science Adventures! ©: Adventures from Summer Camp posted at Urban Science Adventures! ©, described as, “a recap (full of pictures of little OutdoorAfros) of my experiences as a day camp urban nature camp counselor. I think I had as much fun as the kiddies”
Photo: Olena Zhadko
She was so excited about this carnival, DNLee decided to share more of her wealth of knowledge from her blog: Urban Science Adventures! ©: 100 + Things You Can Do Outside! saying, “Okay, this is really old, but the things I recommend for kids, families, and individuals to do outside never gets old. How many of these things have you done?” And she is right! See for yourself!
Brown and Green
Dianne Glave presents Mother, Lumberjack, and Turpentine!? posted at Rooted in the Earth: a companion blog to her forthcoming book Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage coming out in August 2010. She talks about the ambivalent relationship between African Americans and trees, and weaves in her own family history that notes some generational shifts relating to trees and the outdoors:
Trees as a means to earn a living
Getting Outside
axel presents Traveling And Personal Growth posted at axel g., a journal of travels all over Africa, that provides vivid detail of his personal experiences in each region.
Appalachian Trail
Scott Amundson gives us a turn-by-turn evocative tour of the Appalachian Trail with his post: AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM: THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL from the HIKING ADVENTURE blog. The Appalachian Trail is now definitely on my list of go-to places!
Jehan became a fan of the Outdoor Afro Facebook page and I found her blog, and fell in love! Here is her post: A Walk in the Woods posted at “She pulled in her horizon like a great fishnet…” that chronicles the stirrings of love for the outdoors she experienced as a child; feelings that guide her to this day.
Gloria Ware’s Blog is another blog-crush of mine. She adds to the mix: Leading The Way Into The Wilderness: Re-Engaging Black Folks With Nature posted at Black and Into Green, saying, “Let’s get out there!”
Gloria
Her other wonderful posts related to gardening, spirituality, and healthy food will keep you (like me!) coming back for more.
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Look for future editions of the Outdoor Blog Carnival that push the envelope regarding what it means to get outdoors.
You can submit a blog article to the next edition of Outdoor Afro Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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