Happy Birthday Outdoor Afro!

April 6, 2010
|In Archive, Uncategorized
|By OutdoorAfro

The reach and audience of Outdoor Afro is greater than ever before, and comprised of a diverse, smart mix of folks who hail from all over the globe. These last few weeks have represented some compelling milestones for the Outdoor Afro community:

  • 1 Year Old
  • 100 Blog Posts
  • 1000 Facebook Fans
  • …and did I mention a trip to the White House? (more about this later)

But this site would not have grown without the influence and support of some very amazing and inspiring individuals. The first conversation I had that started the OA journey in earnest was with Dr. Carol Finney, who is an amazing human being.

One conversation with her at a local coffee shop catapulted me into the hands of Frank and Audrey Peterman, an enviro power-couple who shepherded a tiny army of us into a monumental conference last September. The relationships cultivated in that conference continue to shape a national agenda about this important area of life, and is the cause of new, dynamic relationships forming that continue to collaborate.

Frank and Audrey, Photo: Dudley Edmondson

Dudley Edmondson was an early Outdoor Afro contributor with his stunning photography, and he and I became good friends as we have helped one another to reach new audiences in innovative ways.

Last summer, I had the pleasure of featuring Denene Millner of My Brown Baby on her camping trip with her family. To this day, her story has the distinction of being the Outdoor Afro page with the most individual views, totaling over 1K in a single day!

Since then, I have experienced some fun social media partnerships with James Mills, Queen Quet, Dianne Glave, and Danielle Lee; each of these individuals work together to extend the message of outdoor diversity in unique ways to new audiences – – great job you guys!

Lastly, I cannot thank my children enough who have been Outdoor Afro cheerleaders on the playground and rock the gear whenever possible. To my sister, brother, nephews, nieces, childhood friends, classmates, neighbors, facebook homies, and business partners: I thank you all for believing in this effort from the very beginning! And I know my parents are somewhere smiling about this whole affair!

So here is to another year — with some exciting programs and activities on the way to transform our digital conversations into outdoor action!

Be Well,
Rue