Now Recruiting: 2015 Fellows to Join the National Outdoor Afro Leadership Team!
Outdoor Enthusiasts, Nature Lovers and Community Leaders Across the Country Are Encouraged to Apply
*Do you enjoy hiking, birdwatching, camping, kayaking, skiing, gardening, barbecuing or other recreational outdoor activities?
*Do you have a passion for inspiring community in the outdoors?
*Are you interested in creating, sharing and implementing strategies to reconnect African Americans to nature?
*Would you like to join a nationally recognized network of African American outdoor professionals?
If these questions resonate with you, APPLY TODAY to join the 2015 Outdoor Afro Leadership Team.
About the Fellowship Program
Launched in 2011, the Outdoor Afro Leader Fellowship promotes a strong sense of community among leaders around the country through a shared vision of reconnecting African Americans with the nature.
Supported in partnership with REI, Keen Shoes, Sierra Club, Klean Kanteen, the Kapor Center for Social Impact and other supporters, the fellowship provides professional support, coaching, and outdoor skills development training to individuals interested in celebrating and increasing the presence of African Americans in the outdoors. Fellows help expand the national Outdoor Afro social and nature network by leading trips, sharing experiences via social media, and forging partnerships with relevant outdoor organizations and groups. Leaders exercise thoughtful engagement that, in 2014 alone, convened more than 2,000 African Americans in the outdoors.
Meet the Fellows
Outdoor Afro Leadership Fellows are team of motivated individuals from around the country deeply connected to the outdoors and committed to celebrating and increasing the presence of African Americans in nature.
In 2015, Outdoor Afro will emphasize recruitment of leaders to join our Chicago, Los Angeles, North Carolina, Washington, DC, Atlanta and Seattle based leadership teams. Motivated individuals from the New York, Mid-West, and Pacific Northwest regions are also strongly encouraged to apply.
What Our Members Say About Outdoor Afro Leadership Fellows
“Wonderful, chill group of people who enjoy nature! Who could ask for more? Viva is an amazing leader! She walked with everyone and keep us on point, but also let us do our own thing when we wanted! Great work, V! ”— Shirley M. Member, Outdoor Afro Chicago
“I'm thrilled Beky is willing to create such amazing experiences for complete strangers. ” -Lakisha, Member, Outdoor Afro North Carolina
“This group ROCKS! Clay is by far a walking encyclopedia of knowledge, passion and energy. Everyone had something to share, whether it be encouragement, humor or just good old fashioned kindness, and the vibe among those in attendance was positively genuine. I really felt welcome and it was such a blessing to be in the company of folks who love and participate in outdoor leisure activities.”— Karen B, Member, Outdoor Afro San Francisco Bay Area.
How to Apply
Here is what we require:
- Facilitate a minimum 1 OA sponsored event every month
- Participate in a monthly conference call with other OA Leaders
- Develop two new OALT ambassadors in your region
- Live within 50 miles of an REI store
Leader perks include:
- Select FREE premium gear and supplies from sponsors KEEN Shoes, REI, Klean Kanteen, and more!
- Professional support, coaching, and outdoor skills development training
- The ability to make a tangible and positive difference for your local community and the natural world
Apply now to join our diverse team from around the nation to bring the outdoors to more people in your community!
Next Steps to be Eligible for Consideration:
1. Complete the application— submit via email by Friday, January 31 and participate fully in the interview process via phone and video conference calls.
2. Be available for a mandatory in–person training from April 23-25, 2015 at National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown,West Virginia (transportation not included).
3. The 2015 Class of Outdoor Afro Leaders will be confirmed and announced in March 2015.
Special Call
Outdoor Afro is strongly interested in leaders who can join our Chicago, Los Angeles, North Carolina, Washington, DC, Atlanta and Seattle based leadership teams. Motivated individuals from the New York, Mid-West, and Pacific Northwest regions are also strongly encouraged to apply.
For any questions, please contact us at [email protected]
ARE YOU THE NEXT OUTDOOR AFRO LEADER FOR YOUR REGION? APPLY TODAY!
Sustainable Celebrations: Creatively Incorporating Nature in Our Holidays
by Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk
As the daughter of a fisherman, repurposing was a big part of my upbringing. Cleaned fish carcasses went into the crab pots. Outgrown t-shirts were used as rags to unhook slimy, squirmy Catfish. Driftwood was rescued and incorporated into my mother’s artistic creations. And at the end of every December, we still gather around our Christmas tree and haul it out to the backyard. My Dad walks the tree down the "plank" (also called a fishing pier) and with a quick push, into the water it goes. We always watch it submerge with smiles on our faces, thinking about how this tree would attract the fish that we like to catch in the summer months. It's one of my family’s favorite holiday traditions.
On Saturday, Outdoor Afros gathered at Pollinate Farm and Garden to creatively repurpose nature into our seasonal decorations. Using locally grown materials, including fallen Eucalyptus and Magnolia leaves, rosemary, dried pomegranates, Juniper shrubs, dried chilies, walnuts, acorns and Douglas firs, we assembled holiday wreaths. While everyone’s creation was unique, they shared the green brilliance and the fresh fragrance of Bay Area nature.
We were a group of longtime friends, a beekeeper, a gardener, a mother and daughter team, and individuals who drew inspiration from our environment and our family traditions. As we worked, we discussed the ways and reasons we practice sustainability during the holidays. One wreath maker reflected on her preference for DIY gifts as a way of rebelling against the mass consumption and consumerism of this time of year. Another crafter shared her longtime tradition of buying potted trees, which she replants in her backyard immediately following Christmas.
In partnership with Klean Kanteen, Outdoor Afro is committed to divesting from single use plastics. Its a culture we live and encourage all year round and especially during the holidays. In addition to reusable water bottles, we love giving our loved ones Klean Kanteen mugs, cups, tumblers, and food containers. Instead of giving (single use plastic) gift cards, we go to our local REI with the intended recipient and thus, personalize the experience of picking out the present. When we attend holiday parties, we bring our potluck items in reusable dishes and drink eggnog and hot apple cider from reusable mugs instead of single use plastic containers. And whether it's a gift basket or a live green decoration, we buy locally grown, natural items because, as daughters of fisherman and as environmental stewards, we are mindful of how much single use plastic ends up in our oceans.
After we put the final touches on our wreaths, we admired each other’s use of color and integration of different materials. I got excited thinking about the way my wreath would naturally illuminate my home. And then I remembered another long standing repurposing tradition of my childhood: My Mom used (and still uses) my father’s fishing line to hang her wreaths. While my fresh creation fortunately will not have the faint smell of flounder or striped bass (no offense, Dad!), it will have the fragrance of Northern California, a recent, but beloved family connection.
We Need Nature Now More Than Ever
Call to Action
Join Outdoor Afros around the country on December 13th for a Healing Hike
#HealingHike
Right now we are living in times that are hard to understand. Recent events in Ferguson and in New York have re-opened wounds of fear and doubt that have divided our country, revealing riveting currents of pain and distrust.
These events touch me personally and professionally. As a mother of three brown children (two of them boys), and the aunt of several young adults in Oakland, California, I find myself holding them all tighter with alternating rage and despair, knowing my hope and love alone cannot defend them from a shape-shifting and potentially lethal enemy.
As the leader of an organization that strives to lower barriers of historic fears between people and nature, especially for people who look like me – how can I now reassure members that it's OK for our children to go outside to play or stroll, and that they will come home alive?
The weight of these concerns feels suffocating indeed.
Yet through it all, I still feel hopeful knowing we have at our disposal a variety of platforms to respond and press for change and justice. For instance at Outdoor Afro, we typically call out the ways nature teaches and heals us.
Throughout our history in the US, there are many examples of how our people have expressed our greatest societal needs in both the streets and in natural settings.
We recall how Harriet Tubman led our people with and through nature to help us find freedom. The March on Washington brought together thousands of all hues in a national park to demand civil rights. In recent years, #Occupy reclaimed and camped in city plazas around the country, calling on economic fairness. And today, we are protesting in nearly every major city in response to the grand jury decisions in Ferguson and New York City calling once again for justice because #BlackLivesMatter.
Photo: Debra Benton
Right now, our country is ailing, and I hold the belief that we can turn to nature to provide an important pathway toward our healing as we always have. So in keeping with tradition, and building off our own poignant Healing Hike in Oakland last week, Outdoor Afro leaders around the country call on friends, allies, and partners to join us December 13th for a day of healing in nature.
Locate your local Outdoor Afro network through Meetup.com; or simply get out with your friends, family, church, or local outdoor organization. Share how you are healing in nature to inspire others: Hashtag #HealingHike
We hope you will join us, but more importantly, we hope you find healing and hope during these challenging times for us all.
Beach Biking and Dancing
Who says you need to camp to enjoy nature?
Denene shares:
We're at Kiawah Island, on the coast of South Carolina. We are landlocked in Atlanta, so we always look forward to getaways to the beach, specifically the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, where we African Americans have such an incredible history. We knew we wanted to take in all of what nature has to offer on this beautiful island. More specifically, we wanted to ride bikes on the beach. So we did just that. The sun was high, the ocean was spirited, the sand was cool and we were one with her. Nature. We shouted. We ran. We laughed. We danced. We raced with the wind. And we loved every moment, knowing that right there on that sacred land, where our ancestors toiled and paid the heavy price, it was our duty to be... free.
Thank you Denene for sharing a slice of your vacation and fun with us!
Pumpkin Learning and Carving
By Outdoor Afro Leader Zoe Polk
So many wonderful smells, tastes, sights and adventures come to mind when we think of October! We take long drives to view the fall foliage. We get excited in heading to farms and picking our first apple off the tree. We review family recipes in preparation for festive feasts. We relish in wrapping our favorite cozy REI scarf around us. And we to pay tribute to all the wonderful ways pumpkins add color and joy to our month.
Outdoor Afro took part in the seasonal fun by joining with local business Pollinate Farm and Garden for a day of pumpkin learning and carving. Pollinate is general store committed to supporting and expanding the community of people interested in growing their own food by providing tools, supplies, and educational support. In a class co-taught by Pollinate founder Yolanda Burell and Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk participants learned about the importance of pumpkins, squash and gourds in African diaspora and how pumpkins are grown, consumed and carved. We remembered that in 1896, Booker T. Washington the first President of the Tukegee Institute, hired botanist George Washington Carver to run the Tukegee Institute’s agriculture department. Both men believed that by growing their own food, including pumpkins, freed slaves could become self reliant and improve their quality of life.
Outdoor Afros also talked about the pumpkin as a gourd, and its role African and Caribbean musical instruments. We examined and played a Ghanian xylophone and noted how the gourds underneath made the sound resonate when we hit the keys.
In addition, Yolanda provided keys to a successful pumpkin harvest, including tips on seed planting depth and spacing as well as soil temperature and fertilizing. While pumpkins generally need a lot of space to spread, Yolanda taught us how to build structures to grow pumpkins vertically when space is limited. With this grounding information, Outdoor Afros headed to Pollinate’s beautiful backyard for some pumpkin carving.
After carefully selecting our pumpkins, we got to work getting our hands dirty and emptying the insides.
Yolanda explained the importance of using every part of the pumpkin- at Pollinate they use the “seeds and innards” to feed their chickens. Other Outdoor Afros described their recipes for roasting pumpkin seeds and turning them into a delicious snack. Once the insides had been removed, we picked up our tools, including serrated knifes, picks, power drills and stencils to make our own unique design.
There were smiles all around. And at the end of the day, everyone left with pumpkin to light up their October and their door steps.
On Taking Risks and National Parks
The national parks are our treasures, and I remain grateful for the multiple ways my organization, Outdoor Afro, and many others like it, have successfully partnered with park staff, scholars, and volunteers to help shift the visual representation and physical presence of who gets outdoors. Engaging more people around the country with the tremendous assets of our national parks serves to provide increased awareness and much needed future support of our precious resources.
I’m writing this in response to our friend, colleague, and Outdoor Afro Leader Teresa Baker’s open letter to National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. We are especially proud of the efforts of Teresa, and others, who inspire many people as a passionate leader in our parks, following in the footsteps of Frank and Audrey Peterman, Shelton Johnson, Dr. Nina Roberts, and many more professionals and community advocates who have done the work and research for decades. The vital work of these essential leaders often occurs behind the scenes so our national parks and other public lands will be even more welcoming and relevant into the next century.
Since Outdoor Afro began connecting more people with our national parks, and to the outdoors broadly, we are thankful to have inherited a family of NPS staff who we have not only come to consider as allies and thought partners, but also friends. These professionals have led us to many NPS resources available that call out the cultural, historical, and recreational park experience in nature. We are proud to be a partner who helps share these opportunities through social media and a committed national outdoor leadership team.
Furthermore, when I have the privilege of working in Washington, DC at the Department of Interior, the managing agency of the NPS, our work is respected and heard. We maintain a valued space alongside an important variety of bright and committed champions who effectively move the needle forward, often through a bog of a slow-moving federal process.
However, there are indeed times when community organizations and the NPS do not feel aligned and there may not be a level of synergy that is desired. Without knowledge of the past, sufficient information about current efforts, or having a desired level of communication, such impediments may lead to unnecessary dissonance. Strategies abound and solutions are possible, many of which have been implemented year after year. Nonetheless, recent public comments in response to Teresa Baker’s open letter to NPS Director Jon Jarvis have drawn out many ardent concerns. The emergence of such discussion merely supports, and reveals, the continued need for action and to show greater progress.
In our mutual passion and focus to connect all people to our parks across the nation, it’s true that sometimes we do not agree or have the right staff capacity. We have differing tactics, strengths, and communication styles. Yet one thing is abundantly clear: we are all on the same side.
At Outdoor Afro, we have come to learn though our experience that meaningful connections to the natural world for everyone involves stepping out of comfort zones, relentlessly building new relationships, and most importantly: taking risks. For an outdoor participant, this might mean overcoming the fear of sleeping overnight in the wild, or welcoming others who may not look like you. For park professionals, it might mean finding common ground and building new alliances with a community organization that may not share your cultural background, or perhaps stepping up as a lone change agent in your workplace or local community.
While some might choose to amplify imperfections of the National Park Service, we might also be reminded that there is no single agency, organization, company, or community that cannot afford to do better. Additionally, we must be cautious to not blame or attack individual leaders but remember bigger issues needing to be addressed are systemic and involve multiple decision-makers. Therefore, perhaps a more generative start of our analysis might lead with a question such as: “Are the national parks headed in the right direction?” And, based on what has been accomplished in recent years with Outdoor Afro and many of our community allies, we believe they are, knowing there is much more we can all achieve and contribute.
Around the corner in 2016, America will celebrate the NPS centennial anniversary – and with an eye toward empathy and compassion we, at Outdoor Afro, are filled with tremendous hope. It is our conviction that we can, and should, continue to strengthen our work together to sustain all people, and our parks, for another 100 years and beyond.
Rue Mapp
Founder and CEO
A Special Birthday Message From Rue Mapp
Dear Friends,
This October, I celebrate my 43rd birthday. I am proud to share this number, as I mark each year as both a blessing and a triumph.
This year also marks the fifth anniversary of the blog I whimsically named Outdoor Afro. As you all know, that blog was a key in the door to a world that changed everything.
But three years ago, I decided to take an even bigger “jump” and dedicate my entire life to the service of getting more people who look like me into nature to help them live better, take care of the planet, and change the cultural conversation about who can get connected to the Great Outdoors.
As a single mom with three school-aged children living in the Bay Area, everyone thought I was nuts for leaving a well-paying job to pursue this passion! While there have been fleeting moments when that sentiment felt true, every fiber within pulls me in a certain direction toward a sense of truth and purpose.
It has been fun to share the journey with you all via social media, and on many Outdoor Afro events led by a team of amazing professionals from around the country who reach thousands. I also notice that there are more people enthusiastically getting out with more regional efforts, which I consider a shared success on the path toward the culture shift I hope to help achieve through Outdoor Afro.
I just can’t relate enough how tremendously grateful I am for all the cheers, organizational partnerships, friendships, and amazing recognition this work has provided. And especially, the pride my own children, Seth, Arwen, and Billy each share with everyone they meet.
But we are just getting started, and today Outdoor Afro needs you now more than ever to increase its impact.
It’s simple: we want to get more people back into nature.
So today, as my birthday wish, I invite you to rededicate or increase your commitment to Outdoor Afro’s work in three ways:
- Make a donation to Outdoor Afro
- Come to an Outdoor Afro event near you (no Afro required!)
- Spread the word to others
Newsflash!
We are so fortunate to have received a generous donation challenge and every dollar we raise this month will be matched up to $30,000!
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for our common cause. The best is yet to come!
Sincerely,
Diverse Environmental Leadership Launch
New Speakers Bureau Launches as the Voice for Diversity and Inclusion in National Parks, Outdoor Environments, and Environmental Organizations
Diverse Environmental Leaders to share expertise on impact of diverse outreach and perspective on public lands and environment.
Photo: Dudley Edmondson
The Diverse Environmental Leaders (DEL) speakers bureau brings together a dynamic ensemble of individuals with vast experiences to offers a more relevant narrative about Americans of color, on environmental issues. The organization and its members will address the urgent need to expand the environmental conversation, especially in the face of global climate change and its destructive effects. "We have a green-infrastructure moment in America now, as a response to climate adaptation," states DEL member and green urban planning innovator Majora Carter. "This provides more opportunities to introduce urban residents to natural systems, the careers that come with them, and a taste for more."
The bureau's launch comes exactly two years prior to the 2016 centennial of the National Park Service and is intended to mark a 24-month celebration culminating August 25, 2016. DEL will help organizations, corporations, government agencies, and more, by providing expertise in engaging diverse communities and presenting best practices for successful outreach to increase awareness, interest, participation, and stewardship of the natural and historic public lands throughout the United States. "DEL provides a focus for clients to engage in a systems approach to diversifying the talent & advocacy pipeline that we need as a nation, going forward,” Carter concluded.
Photo: Dudley Edmondson
There are approximately thirty professional members of DEL including Outdoor Afro leaders, Teresa Baker (SF Bay Area), Stefan Moss (Atlanta) in a cohort of many distinguished friends and allies.
“By aggregating a fraction of the environmental leadership and talent in our urban communities, we are making ourselves more visible and accessible,” said Audrey Peterman, President of Earthwise Productions Inc. and one of the visionaries behind the bureau.
Frank Peterman, Vice President of Earthwise shared similar observations. “Although we’ve met thousands of racial and ethnically diverse Americans who are passionate explorers and advocates for the protection of our public lands and the environment, we don’t see that represented in the popular media,” he said.
The DEL is doing something about this by supporting and promoting experienced experts to help build broad community support for the protection of public lands, the environment, and people through diversity and inclusion.
About Earthwise Productions, Inc.
Founded in 1994, this consulting and publishing company has provided services to The Audubon Society; The Environmental Protection Agency; The National Park Service; The South Florida Water Management District; and The Environmental Defense Fund. Earthwise Productions, Inc. tailors strategic approaches that assist government agencies, nonprofits and corporations to engage a wider, more diverse section of the population in the enjoyment and stewardship of our publicly owned lands.
For more information, visit the DEL website.
Outdoor Afro Partner Spotlight–Caroleigh Pierce, Klean Kanteen
Who are Outdoor Afro's partners? What do these partnerships mean?
We are asked these types of questions frequently, and in response, decided to launch a short series of brand partner spotlights to share how they work with Outdoor Afro, and the passionate people who drive them.
Introducing: 
Since meeting founder Rue Mapp at Outdoor Retailer in 2012, Caroleigh Pierce of Klean Kanteen has been a close friend, avid supporter, and true partner of Outdoor Afro. The two were introduced through our friends at Nature Bridge, and quickly formed a friendship. Caroleigh's expertise about the ecological and health benefits of sustainable containers (as well as the negative aspects of plastic) have been invaluable to the Outdoor Afro Leadership Team and the larger Outdoor Afro community. Klean Kanteen's array of lightweight, reusable products ensure that any camping, hiking, skiing, mountaineering--pretty much any outdoor trip--will be healthy and environmentally sound! We caught up with Caroleigh to share a bit more about herself, the Klean Kanteen brand, and our partnership.
1. How long have you been at Klean Kanteen?
I’ve been working for Klean Kanteen since 1/11/10. I started out doing wholesale invoicing then moved through a few departments until I found my home in partnerships 2 years ago.
2. How did you become interested in the outdoors/Outdoor Retail industry?
I grew up camping, fishing and working in the garden with my parents but I have never considered myself an “outdoors” person. I found my way to Klean via a girlfriend who thought I would be a good fit for our very family friendly company. Since I’ve come to Klean, I’ve found a new appreciation and love of the outdoors and how important it is to my overall health and wellness. You can’t get better therapy than a crisp night looking up at the stars or sitting in silence next to a quick moving stream or near the powerful ocean.
3. What excites you the most about working for Klean Kanteen?
I LOVE that I work for a company that sees the value of supporting nonprofit organizations that are out doing the hard work and flying the flag to create change in the world. My job as Outreach Manager allows our company to actively seek out and nurture relationships with these thought leaders. Creating real, mutually beneficial relationships that go beyond a check and a table at the annual dinner auction.
4. What excites you about Klean Kanteen's partnership with Outdoor Afro?
LOTS!! I was excited from the very first time I was introduced to Rue by a mutual friend at Outdoor Retailer. I knew I needed to find a way to work with her and it was OBVIOUS that she was on a mission and going to do amazing things. Since then, every time I’ve participated in an OA event or call or Facebook conversation I’ve felt as though I was a part of the team. The love and commitment and FUN is contagious. I love that the OA leaders are working in their own community to meet people where they are at and to customize their experiences. I know this is just the beginning for Outdoor Afro and I want to be a part of this conversation and transformation to get folks outside. I’m also excited about how interested the leaders have been in learning more about our product and have become such great ambassadors for our brand.
5. How do you see your products facilitating people's outdoor experiences, especially first timers?
Our product is top notch. It’s expensive, but with the proper understanding of what it replaces, it’s worth the investment. It can be something that can be used in all facets of your life. From the desk to the day hike. From your kitchen to the backcountry. You can’t say that about much outdoor gear. On a deeper level, I also think our product can start a conversation and can help people have a better understanding of the “leave no trace” philosophy as well as “healthy hydration”. Packing in and out your own safe, clean water that isn’t filled with chemicals is a really good thing.
6. What is something people might not know about you and/or Klean Kanteen?
We all live and work together in the small college town of Chico, California. A company of less than 50 employees that now serve almost 50 countries. We are brothers, sisters, neighbors and friends. Until recently, most of us had very little job experience in sales, marketing or distribution. We just loved what our brand stood for and saw the potential of what it could become. 10 years later, we’re still having fun and continuing to grow!
7. How can people learn more about Klean Kanteen and your mission?
You can go to our website kleankanteen.com or check us out on Facebook and Twitter. We share a lot of information about our company mission, our overseas production and our partnerships.
We are thankful to Caroleigh Pierce for her undying enthusiasm for our mission!
What's your favorite Klean Kanteen product?