Nelson Mandela
Today, our hearts are heavy to learn about the transition of Nelson Mandela, with whom we are honored to have shared the same planet.
Mandela will be forever known as a beacon of freedom, and a symbol of transcendence toward peace.
Father Mandela, we salute you at sunset.
In Gratitude
If you want to go fast, go alone
If you want to go far, go together
African proverb
On the tail of brisk autumn winds, we at Outdoor Afro welcome the holidays in the dawn of winter as a time to slow down, give thanks, and set intentions for the coming year.
I often feel so privileged to know what I am supposed to be doing on the planet, and find the daily courage to go forth and embrace it. People ask all the time, “How do you do it?” I have discovered that when you love what you do, it nourishes your very core and everything around you.
But I receive critical support from so many. Along with my three children, whose bravery is shown each time I board a plane for work, I stand on the shoulders of my parents, AC and Ella mae Levias, who showed me the value of connections to both the land and to family from a young age. While my parents are no longer living, Outdoor Afro is an enduring tribute to them, and a way of life.
I muse on the personal and professional mashup when I put the chickens to bed in my urban backyard, or as my cool-season collard greens grow from seedlings, or when my eldest son and I split and stack firewood for the season’s transition, logging it all via social media. There is no seam that separates what I do for a living, how I live, and who I am – and it is such a gift to share it all with others.
Much gratitude is owed to the Outdoor Afro Leadership Team. This baker’s dozen of amazing men and women from around the country answered the call to be leaders in nature and share a fire in their belly that connects people to nature right in their own backyard in places like Pennsylvania, Brooklyn, Chicago, Atlanta, Oakland, and more. Their leadership means thousands of people of all ages have gotten out and rediscovered a sense of connection, stewardship, and possibility in nature they can re-learn, and sustainably repeat in their own lives. We hear all the time powerful testimonies about what our outdoor experiences mean to people. For instance, a recent participant, after an Outdoor Afro hike said, “I feel free”, which sums up an important aspiration of our work for everyone we touch.
Finally, I feel tremendously privileged to work with partners who share common goals and support our work in a variety of ways. They not only keep the lights on, but our corporate and non-profit allies are made up of folks who are like family, who share ideas, triumphs, and challenges right by our side. We have also been blessed with several amazing individual supporters and new clients this year who facilitate opportunities to practice our craft, and expand it through a relevant lens.
Simply put, it’s been a great year.
And while we remain grounded in the present, we are also looking forward to 2014 – it’s the 5th anniversary of the blog that started it all -- and a continued, colorful celebration of people and nature.
No matter how you move into our new season, I want you to know we are thankful for you in this precious community, and wish you all the best of Thanksgivings and a joyous launch of the holiday season!
Rue Mapp
Outdoor Afro Founder
These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things!
What are your favorite things that help you get out and enjoy the outdoors? Here are ours!
We were so excited to participate in a recent video shoot put together by our flagship partner REI featuring just a few products we use from ClifBar, KEEN, and The North Face. We adore these products based on their value, style, ease of use, and functionality - especially for women! Check out the video of Outdoor Afro's founder Rue Mapp showing off some of these favorite things!
Here are a couple more honorable mentions of products we use and have enjoyed this year:
Klean Kanteen Food Canisters and Containers
This product ensures hot lunches stay H-O-T, and is great storage for on-the-go snacks of any temperature for kids and adults!
Columbia's Women’s Mighty Lite™ III Vest
We enjoy throwing on this stylish vest over most anything, and for all our outdoor activities, especially when the weather is cool!
What's on your list?
For more ideas, visit REI.com, or visit your nearest REI store!
That's a Wrap Chicago!
By: Outdoor Afro Leader Viva Yeboah
This past Saturday, Outdoor Afro Chicago wrapped up 2013 with a hike along the Cap Saucer and Swallow Cliff loop in Palos Park, IL.
This loop is linked with several other trails that make up Cap Saucer Holdings Nature Preserve, the largest nature preserve in northeast Illinois. What is awesome about this nature preserve, is that is so close to Chicago, but still provides the peacefulness of nature. The trails have multiple uses including mountain biking, running, hiking and horseback riding.
Our hike consisted of 6 miles of hilly terrain. We enjoyed great conversations around the topics of public education, zouk music and what's next for Outdoor Afro Chicago. Hiking offers a space to reflect, observe and connect with individuals. We met a fellow Outdoor Afro on his horse and even got a glimpse of deer before it galloped away!
GirlTrek represented at our hike!
2013 has been a successful year for Outdoor Afro Chicago. We have grown in many ways and that's thanks to our members, the leadership team, as well as our sponsors and collaborators. We look forward to next year and continuing to provide a variety of activities with the growth of our leadership team.
Stay in touch through our meetup group or facebook group page!
TRE Los Angeles and Outdoor Afro
Alisha here, Outdoor Afro leader of Los Angeles. Sunday we were invited by the amazing Nkem Of TRE Los Angeles to learn tension release exercises. We were hosted by the stunning Village PlayGarden in the beautiful Altadena foothills.
We had a really great group that varied in age. We were all astounded at the highly effective yet simple exercises that allowed us to release tension and trauma. Even with the different ages, personalities and circumstances we were all able to experience relief.
We were able to connect to nature as well as one another in the group. It was one of the most grounding, balanced experiences I have had.
There was a sense of community and calm that every person in attendance attributed to. Our gracious host family pictured below welcomed everyone with so much love and positive energy.
This was an experience enjoyed by all who attended, even the children participated and were thoroughly entertained.
For anyone who hasn't tried TRE, I highly recommend it. I look forward to partnering with TRE LA again in the near future. I want to make it a part of my weekly routine. Just look at the beautiful grounds we were able to enjoy for a couple hour on a beautiful Sunday while healing our bodies.
Hiking with Rue Mapp, Founder of Outdoor Afro
It's Alisha, leader of Outdoor Afro Los Angeles. This last weekend we were honored to have Rue Mapp the founder of Outdoor Afro join us for the weekend of events. We started with hiking Kenneth Hahn Park in Baldwin hills. Here's a view from the top.
We stayed along the new path that newly opened and we were able to see the runners, hikers, kids and parents alike enjoy the new space. Along the trail there's exercise machines, trees, a butterfly garden and of course traffic. After all this is LA.
We hiked over 2 miles and on the steepest incline our youngest Outdoor Afro hitched a ride.
This was great hike that local mad convenient to get to. We'd love to have you join us our our next adventure. We are going to start doing more fitness based outings to capture our LA folks attention.
A Hike to Honor our Heroes
by Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk
At Outdoor Afro, we always take the opportunity to turn a day off into a "day out;" that is- a time to join together with our community in nature. This Veterans Day was a particularly unique day out for us because we set our intention to honor the heroes of Port Chicago and all of the African American veterans in our lives. Through a reflective and brisk autumn hike to the summit Mount Wanda on John Muir Historic Site, we valued our journey together just as much as the historic overlook offered at the destination.
Before we began our hike, we gathered in a gratitude circle and went around calling out the individuals in history and in our families who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. We learned that some of us descended from generations of military veterans. We were also honored when members shared about their own service in the armed forces. And Outdoor Afros reflected on veterans in African American history, including the Buffalo Soldiers, the Tuskegee Airman, and the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the Civil War. By speaking these names, we remembered that we are connected by more than just our collective love of nature.
On the way to the top we used all five of our senses to fully experience all that the trail had to offer. All around us we saw beautiful views of fall foliage and dried grass which reminded us why California is called the Golden State. We heard the sounds of Turkey Vultures and Steller's Jay. When we breathed deeply through our noses, we took in the savory scent of California Bay Trees. With each step in our Keens on the dusty trail and every encouraging hand on the shoulder, we used our sense of touch to make our way up a heart pumping ascent. When we needed that extra burst of energy, we snacked on clif bars, for a delicious taste of chocolate peanut butter, blueberry crisp, and mojo trail mix, washing them down with cool water from our Klean Kanteens.
When we arrived at the summit, we looked out at the Suisun Bay for a glimpse of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. There we paused again to honor the African American navy men of the Port Chicago explosion.
Reading from The Port Chicago Mutiny by Robert Allen, we learned that during World War II, Port Chicago was a segregated naval munitions base. Black Navy men were required to load ammunition onto ships bound for the South Pacific under the watch of their white officers which was an incredibly dangerous and physically challenging task. 
On July 17, 1944, an explosion rocked the base, killing 320 men 202 of whom were black ammunition loaders. Following the devastating explosion, white officers were given leave time and commended for heroic efforts, whereas 328 of the surviving black enlistees were sent to load ammunition on another ship. When they refused, fifty men were singled out and charged and convicted of mutiny. It was the largest mutiny trial in U.S. naval history.
We also learned that Thurgood Marshall, special counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and future Supreme Court Justice, worked on the public relations campaign and appeal. However, to this day the convictions remain in place.
Now approaching the 70th year anniversary of the explosion, local efforts continue to exonerate these men. Outdoor Afro will keep honoring the heroes of Port Chicago through speaking their names and sharing their story with each other and our youth.
Under the beautiful sunny sky, we made our way back down Mt. Wanda and engaged in conversations about history learned and relearned. And about the role nature can play honoring that history. As one Outdoor Afro remarked, "It's one thing to hike up a big hill, but its a completely different experience to hike up there and look out on our history."
Join us on our next adventure- we promise all five senses will be used and unforgettable memories will be made!
Big Bird in the River
By Outdoor Afro Leader Clay Anderson
Last weekend, ten Outdoor Afros felt the tug to expand their horizons, enhance their awareness, and find inspiration.
Thousands of Sandhill cranes, ducks, geese, and wading birds felt the urge to avoid the cold, find something to eat, and educate their progeny.
The Cosumnes River Preserve consists of 46,000 acres of river bottom, floodplain forest, oak woodland, annual grassland, rare freshwater marshes and vernal pools. Cosumnes is a Miwok (native-american) word meaning "people of the salmon'. All the little seeps, creeks and rivulets dovetail into the great Cosumnes river, which is in turn part of an even larger drainage system: the California delta.
And just like all the creeks and rivers, the Outdoor Afros and hundreds of other birdwatchers coalesced at Cosumnes and Woodbridge Preserves to experience the cranes coming in to roost. As the sun set and blazed the darkening blue sky with fire red clouds, the silhouette of cranes trumpeted their graceful landings, long legs touching down on flooded fields to make their stand for the evening.
Outdoor Afros and fellow nature-loving-friends' pupils pierced prisms with cameras-a-clicking. Together we stood in a developing awareness that all of our fellow animals need a safe place to rest, live, and prosper.
Saturday Stewards Say "It IS Easy Being Green!"
by Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk
Outdoor Afros were spotted on Saturday on San Francisco's Mt. Sutro doing trail maintenance and habitat restoration!
We were happy to join our partner REI and 500 other volunteers for the Ridge Trail Service Day, especially since Mt. Sutro is natural space that we cherish and have visited many times before.
Just like the Buffalo Soldiers did for us, Outdoor Afros will continue to practice good stewardship by sustaining the natural environment and resources in our local parks and wild spaces.
Join us on our next adventure outdoors!
Chicago Afros Ain't Scared of Rain: Fall Camping Adventure
By: Viva Yeboah, Outdoor Afro Leader, Chicago
Recently, Outdoor Afro Chicago went on a fall overnight camping trip to Kankakee River State Park. Our group included a total of 16 members of all ages, background and with various camping experience. The 4,000 acre state park is about an hour south of Chicago and offers plenty of activities year around including camping, fishing, hunting, canoeing, horseback riding, biking and hiking.
In preparation for our trip, we held a pre-camping potluck meeting at REI Lincoln Park community room. We enjoyed food and beverages while discussing our itinerary, answered questions and addressed any concerns. Additionally, if members were in need of camping gear or equipment, REI rental department provided members with guidance on what was available to rent and cost of rental.
Now of course with any trip, you can plan your best, but you won’t be prepared for everything. On Wednesday, we started monitoring the weather for expected severe storms over the weekend. Since weather forecast are not 100%, we agreed on Friday to go ahead with our trip. Everyone was notified to be prepared including bringing rain gear. By Saturday morning weather predictions had changed for the best. Precipitation continued to decrease and the storm prediction push back from morning to early evening.
Another bump in our trip, was the mix up with our campsite. A boy scout troop checked in late Friday evening and chose to take our site rather than their reserved site. Our original site was close to parking, water, electricity and toilets. Not only those great amenities but the set up of the site was beautiful. It provided enough space and privacy from other groups. We were able to claim a unreserved site similar in size to our reserved site. The site was much closer to the river and a bit further away from amenities. In return for the mix up, the troop assisted us in moving our gears, equipments, and other camping items to the site.
Saturday evening sky
For the most part our campsite was fully set up before the rain arrived. A few members had to set up their tents in the rain or waited for it to pass.
Campsite
Tents in preparation for rain
Our itinerary included canoeing, hiking, horseback riding and communal meals. Check out the Saturday morning canoeing crew below. We held a potluck dinner for Saturday and once the rain slowed down we had the campfire going. S’mores, games, great conversations and music (some Steppers, House and Reggae mixes)!
Saturday Canoers
Saturday evening campfire
Spades game!
S'mores!
Even though we moved to another site, the bonus was being closer to the river. Sunday morning, provided the chance to capture the beauty of the river. We enjoyed communal breakfast, campfire, music and more discussions. Since this was our check out day, it was hard to fit in our remaining two activities (hiking and horseback riding) and also pack. However, we were able to complete a one hour hike but held off on horseback riding.
Sunday morning
Our trip was awesome. The rain did not deter us from camping; I think it only challenged us more and added more excitement to our trip. The campground and facilities were in good condition. The best part of our trip was everyone's contribution to making it happen. Members contributed equipment, gear, food, their time and effort for all of us to enjoy the camping experience. Even those unable to attend made major contributions. We look forward to the next camping trip.
More camping pictures and upcoming events at Outdoor Afro Chicago meetup group: http://www.meetup.com/Outdoor-Afro-Chicago/