Sharing S'mores, Stories and Songs around the Campfire!
by Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk
“When we tell stories, especially personal stories where we open ourselves up to whoever is listening, there is often for the listener a value to be learned, or encouragement to be gained, knowing that others before them have conquered fears and challenges similar to their own. For some, the right story at the right time will enrich their day, and even make the world a little better place. That's why I really love to tell stories.”- Diane Ferlatte, Oakland based, Award Winning International Storyteller
Throughout history, African Americans have congregated around fires to seek warmth, break bread, and bask in fellowship. On a crisp autumn evening, Outdoor Afro reconnected with these traditions in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Located just above the rocky cliffs at the mouth of the Golden Gate, the Rob Hill Campground is the perfect place to gather for Fall festivity.
Kicking off our evening together, National Park Service Rangers (and Outdoor Afros) Frederik “Rik” Penn and Kelli English welcomed us to the fire circle and rooted our evening with a black history lesson. Ranger Rik reminded us that African Americans have long had ties to the Presidio, including the Buffalo Soldiers, 
who were stationed there in 1902. Through his fascinating tales of the Buffalo Soldiers as well his own adventures as a soldier stationed in the Presidio, Ranger Rik connected us all to the land we stood on.
After the warm welcome from Ranger Kelli and Ranger Rik, Outdoor Afros got down to the business at hand: showing off s’more making skills! Outdoor Afros chose their roasting stick, popped on marshmallow and sought out the perfect spot in the flames. While most of us were experts in this craft, we also enjoyed a few laughs at the casualties: marshmallows dropped into the fire or burned to an unappetizing crisp. In between delicious bites of chocolate, gooey, crunchy goodness,
we warmed ourselves with hot apple cider from Rainbow Orchards, a local apple farm.
While heating ourselves by the fire and with our steaming cups, Outdoor Afros were encouraged to introduce themselves to new friends and tell stories of their relationships with nature.
We bonded over our love for hiking, camping, birding and hitting the beach. And we rejoiced in recalling that some of our first connections with nature involved childhood chores. Often those tasks were forgotten as we got lost in our outdoor explorations.
With our bellies full, our hands sufficiently sticky, and our hearts full of laughter and our own shared stories, we gathered close for a special presentation from Oakland based, award winning, international storyteller, Diane Ferlatte. Enthralling us with narratives about of Harriet Tubman and clever sharecroppers, Mrs. Ferlatte was the heartwarming highlight of our evening together.
In between our laughter and listening, we joined Mrs. Ferlatte in song. Once she taught us the lyrics, she lead us in a musical call and response. Interweaving the songs with stories, Mrs. Ferlatte also discussed the historical importance of storytelling in African American history, particularly the narratives about Brer Rabbit. According to Mrs. Ferlatte, these tales were told by the slaves in the American South and were brought to rousing and joyful life through music and song. Telling these tales gave the slaves hope and faith that they too could survive and persevere in the face of their troubles just like Brer Rabbit. After telling us the story of Brer Rabbit’s friendship with Brer Possum and their triumph over Brer Snake, she reminded us that each of these stories had an important moral. And we at Outdoor Afro delighted in the reminder that African Americans have long depended on nature and wildlife for life lessons as well as entertainment.
As the sky darkened and the thick fog rolled in, the event became festively spooky and we reluctantly ended our evening together. However, as we descended down from the fire circle, the shining light from the songs, the stories and the s’mores guided us home.
Outdoor Afro would like to extend a special thank you to Mrs. Ferlatte for joining us and making this event so memorable. For more information on Mrs. Ferlatte, including booking information, please visit www.dianeferlatte.com.
Outdoor Afro would also thank Camping at the Presidio Program, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Northface, REI and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for all of their unique support of this event.
This event was supported by Poets &Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.
Hope to see YOU at our next event!
Bicycling the Underground Railroad
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer..." - Harriet Tubman
This morning we were delighted to receive a message from Erick Cedeño, who said, "I traveled back to the 1800's from New Orleans, LA to Niagara Falls, NY...along the Underground Railroad by bicycle to become an eyewitness to history and follow the footsteps of the Freedom fighters."
Erick is a fine example of how it is possible to find connection with community, the past, and most importantly, yourself through nature.
Click to learn more about his journey and what motivated him:
Field Report: NAAEE 2013 Conference in Baltimore, Maryland
Hello, my name is Morgan Powell of Bronx River Sankofa. Here are some memories I’ve brought home from the 42nd annual conference of the North American Association for Environmental Education. It was certainly one of the most ethnically diverse in NAAEE history thanks to vigorous and sustained efforts. Keep on pushing for a green movement that looks like America!
Circular Dialogue
Akiima Price scheduled a wonderful day of activities for us. This picture of some of us around a table captures our Community Environmental Education (EE) Workshop.
Rich discussion was everywhere inside and out of formal sessions as with emerging food scientist Milton Newberry (NJ) of Florida U. I also learned from Tanya Fields (The Blk Projek), Dennis Chestnut (Groundwork Anacostia), Nicole Jackson (The Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden), Jose Marcos-Iga (Environmental Education Exchange), Latriece Brown (Greening Youth), Nilka Martell (G.I.V.E.), Andrew Brazington (Chester Environmental Partnership) and many others from every region of our country.
Touring Baltimore
This New Yorker chose to bypass the free Charm City Circular which connects many center city attractions. Except for the cab I took to the Great Blacks in Wax Museum , I walked to and from the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture where I learned about oystering, iron-working and farming in sandy soils before exploring the Walters Museum and much more. All conference participants were extended reduced admission to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The Community EE Fellowship Field Trip began at Jubilee Arts Center, continued to Whitelock Community Farm, included commentary by Antonio Carpenter of www.metaro777.com who leads tours of old growth forested Baltimore parks and concluded with an environmental justice tour by Glen Ross.
Making New Friends
I feel honored to have met Bobby Wilson of the Metro Atlanta Urban Farm, James McGirt of Project Learning Tree in D.C., Marta Campo (NY) of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, C. Parker McMullen-Bushman of the Marine Science Consortium (VA), Charice Bourdeaux of Utah Bike Month, Park Ranger Nick Clemons (MD) at the Assateague Island National Seashore, Veronica Kyle (IL) of Faith in Place, Marcos Trinidad (CA) of Audubon Youth Environmental Stewards, Juan Reynosa (NM) of the SouthWest Organizing Project, Elizabeth Babalola (NJ) who is studying at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies among too many others to name!
Making Ourselves at Home on The Home Front
By Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk
An Outdoor Afro-Guided Tour of African American Women’s History in Richmond
As the last bit of sun disappeared along the horizon of the San Francisco Bay, Outdoor Afros gathered for a final check in of our hike of the Marina Bay Trail in Richmond, California. Going around the circle, we marveled at the African American history ingrained in the land around us. And we agreed that the beautiful waterfront setting was an honorable tribute to the women we’d learned about on our hike. As a slight warm breeze encircled us, seeming like a final gasp of summer air, one Outdoor Afro summed up the experience with three simple words: “I feel free.”
As the federal government shutdown goes on, Outdoor Afro continues to explore ways to engage with our natural spaces. As we’ve mentioned in our previous post, connecting with nature through local and state parks is one of those ways. Established in 2000, the Rosie the Riveter /World War II Home Front National Historic Park is “partnership park,” wherein the City of Richmond owns the park land and buildings, and the National Park Service administers the programming. While, due to the shutdown, we did a self-guided tour, Outdoor Afro highly recommends visiting this important space when it is open. We are sure that you will treasure the lessons to be learned from Outdoor Afros and National Park Service Rangers Raphael Allen and Betty Soskin as much as we do.
When we began the hike, we were excited to find the trail markers which discussed the role of African Americans in shipbuilding, union organizing and civil rights activism during World War II. We learned about Frances Albrier who became the first African American woman to be hired at Shipyard Number 2 in Richmond.
Working as a welder, Ms. Albrier went on to become the first woman elected to Berkeley City Council and led a campaign hire black teachers in the city’s schools. The youngest Outdoor Afro in our group, Capone, told us that the Frances Albrier Community Center was located in San Pablo Park, one of his favorite parks in the city. We also learned about Charlotta Bass, civil rights activist and founder of The Eagle, one of the longest running African American newspapers in the West.
We spent the longest time at the trail marker that described the work of Anna Bland, Eastine Cowner, and Beatrice Turner. These African American women welders and scalers worked on the SS George Washington Carver (1943).
This trail marker has a memorable photo of African American actress Lena Horne joining Beatrice Turner at the launching of the liberty ship. The SS George Washington Carver was the second ship to be named for an African American. We couldn’t help but notice and comment on the smiles on the women’s faces as they worked, no doubt proud of the work they were doing and proud to be working on ship named for such an important figure (and Outdoor Afro of his time) in African American history.
Learning about African American history along the trail remains Outdoor Afro’s favorite way to hike. On the Marina Bay Trail, gazing out at the Bay and the beautiful views of Angel Island, Mount Tamalpais and the Golden Gate, we saw familiar sights through the eyes of our trailblazing ancestors. And we couldn’t help but think that this magnificent natural setting served as an inspiration to them in their daily hard work just as they serve as an inspiration to us. While we saw their smiling faces beautifully captured in the trail markers, we also looked out and saw them permanently embedded in the natural landscape. And we felt their spirits around us, like a warm summer breeze.
Join us on our next outdoor adventure!
5 Ways To Help You Survive National Park Closures
It's been a tough week for National Park fans and staff with all 401 units closed as a result of the government shutdown. Here are five tips below to help you get engaged and support the parks through this challenged time. Can you add any other ideas to the list?
1. Call or Write a Letter to Your Congressional Representative
Your voice and opinions matter to your elected officials, so write a letter or make a phone call to voice your support for our National Parks. It seems that some in congress have little clue about how their decision making impacts the parks and their staff, so let them know you want the parks open and fully staffed because they are essential. Alternately, send letters of praise to those representatives who demonstrate support for the parks.
2. Join a National Parks Advocacy Group
There are many groups at the forefront to advocate and raise funds for National Parks. Some include the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Park Foundation, as well as several other organizations made up of ordinary citizens who are dedicated to supporting National Parks around the country. These organizations welcome diverse voices, and are an excellent way to learn more about how to support National Parks year-round.
3. Stay Engaged with Nature via State and Local Parks
What has surfaced during the national park closure is that many people do not know that city, regional, and state parks remain open and fully staffed. Your local parks offer rich opportunities to engage with natural local history, and you can learn cool new things about nature, literally in your own back yard. Local and state parks can be a gateway to National Park experiences, and those places need your support and visitorship too!
4. Encourage Park Staff
Park staff, from the back office to the frontlines, face unplanned and devastating financial consequences as a result of the shutdown, with an added insult of being tinted as “non-essential” through a politicized lens. Use your social media networks to share what the National Parks mean to you, and how you appreciate the hardworking men and women who help preserve them.
5. Learn National Park History
As a family or community, have a movie night to watch the excellent PBS series on the National Parks by Ken Burns, National Parks: America’s Best Idea. It chronicles the fascinating history and intention behind the creation of the National Parks that adds insight into today’s Park challenges. Also, get a copy of Frank and Audrey Peterman’s book Legacy on the Land and view their website to whet your appetite for National Park stories, adventure, and more!
How are you coping with the National Park closure?
Outdoor Afros Swim in Open Water for a Good Cause
That's right! In an historic event this weekend, the East Oakland Swim Club in partnership with Water World Swim Organization Swim and the Centurions of San Francisco, hosted 100 Black Folk and Friends Alcatraz to San Francisco Swim. Folks from around the Oakland Bay Area came together to swim in the surrounding open waters for this good cause: to encourage more black and brown folks to learn to swim, and demonstrate that many already do!
Unfortunately, 70 percent of black children do not know how to swim, and the consequence is a disproportionate rate of drownings in our community. According to the University of Memphis study, the fatal drowning rate of African-American children ages 1-14 is 2.6 times higher than that of white children in the same age range.
Group leader Cedric Troupe shares, "[Oakland] has shutdown many of its public pools, limiting access to swimming in our communities. I hope that through this swim, we raise awareness about how important swimming is to black folk, and the importance of public pools."
Outdoor Afro Leader Zoe Polk, an expert swimmer in her own right, started out the morning with the group and some Clif Bar Mojo!
"It was a beautiful morning," she said, "I was so happy to join Cedric and friends to swim for this important cause!"
Learn more about the East Oakland Swim Club by visiting their Facebook page.
Move Over Batman! Outdoor Afros Take Over A Pennsylvania Cave
A blog by Outdoor Afro Leader Victoria Evans of Pennsylvania, who shares how visiting a cave with kids can cause a seismic shift in how they might perceive these natural treasures.
After the heat and haze of August, the day started with a refreshing crispness, which was good because there is a spectacular view from the top of Chestnut Ridge where the entrance to Laurel Caverns is hidden among the trees. Laurel Caverns is the largest cave in Pennsylvania with 3 miles of passages.
When I started planning this Outdoor Afro trip, I told my 4-year -old grandson we were going in a cave. He kind of knew what a cave was from Batman, but had some questions about what might be lurking in the cave--you know, alligators, sharks, vampire bats, and other assorted monsters like in cartoon caves. After I assured him that was not the case, I realized how much of a bad rap caves have--dark, wet, scary--and I wanted to make sure this trip would help shed some light on the true nature of caves.
When Evan and I got to Laurel Caverns at noon, Latoya and her family were waiting and absolutely excited to explore the cave on the 1-hour guided tour. So we got our tickets and hopped on the next tour. We entered a small room with a lot of other people for an introduction about the cave and what we would see. Then the tour guide opened a door and cool damp air filled the room and we descended into the cave.
We wound our way down more than five stories into the mountain through a series of passageways that are sometimes wide or narrow or sloping up or down. We stopped along the way where the guide pointed to names scratched in the walls of the cave by early explorers. She told us about how caves are formed by running water eroding the rock over time, and if you are lucky enough to have a drop of water land on your head, you will have 7 years of good luck. Different chambers and rock formations in the cave have names, like the Great Hall, the Devil’s Staircase, the Sea Turtle, and the Grand Canyon. The guide told us the early explorers used these landmarks to find their way through the cave before there were maps to guide them.
I was so proud of the kids for asking the guide questions about the cave, like “what kind of animals live in the cave and what minerals could you find in the cave?” I was also proud of our youngest adventurers. They were so brave when the guide turned out the lights to show everyone how dark it really is in a cave. They never uttered a peep, but seemed relieved when the lights came back on.
Back at the surface we panned for gems and each adventurer filled a bag with gems and crystal to take home. We finished our trip with a little lesson on how to use the binoculars so we could take in the view of the valley below, and we talked about other adventures we could have outdoors in the coming months. As we piled back into ours cars to head down the mountain, it felt good to see the excitement of the children discovering the natural world and the strength within themselves to overcome their fears.
Later at my house, my grandson and I talked about the cave and the dark. We also spent some time in the little bathroom downstairs with the lights off and the faucet dripping because he said “it is like the dark cave,” demonstrating to me that there are benefits, beyond what we might anticipate, of spending time in the natural world that can change us in very profound ways.
Of Deer, Lighthouses, and the Cold War: An Outdoor Afro Adventure in a Local National Park
Written by Northern California Outdoor Afro Leader Teresa Baker
Last weekend, Outdoor Afros gathered to walk the Bonitas Lighthouse trail, and were greeted by a family of deer. While they grazed on their morning meal, we stopped and photographed this bit of stunning wildlife.
But if you also want to learn about what it takes to keep a lighthouse functioning, this is an awesome place to visit, where you can see all the moving parts.
The tunnel leading down to the lighthouse was dug by hand and what remain are the crumbling walls of the mountain surrounding the trail, which are steadily eroding into the ocean below.
Although the lighthouse itself is maintained by the coast guard, the National Park Service provides access to the public. After our time at the lighthouse, we ventured over to the only restored NIKE Missile site in the entire country.
The NIKE Missile site is the exact model of what stood in its place, during the cold war. You would never know driving by that just tucked away, in a missile bunker, sits missiles that could have destroyed everything in its wake, at the push of a button.
This missile site stood as the last line of defense against Soviet Bombers. As Ranger Al pointed out to us, just one of the six missiles on standby could destroy everything for hundreds of miles from where we stood.
Such a humbling experience to stand next to what was once considered the ultimate in military force, next to such breathtaking wild. And we found it right in our own backyard.
Click to learn more about this site, and retrace our steps!
Hooked! An Outdoor Afro Fishing Tail
By Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk
When the alarm went off at 6:00 am on Saturday, I was tempted to hit the snooze button. But then I remembered that I was going fishing that morning, and a familiar feeling took hold. I arose from my bed, checked the weather report, made my lunch and packed up my fishing gear. It was natural routine and one that I had repeatedly observed my Dad do throughout my childhood.
I grew up in southeastern Virginia and developed a love for the outdoors on the Chesapeake Bay. I have fond memories of my two sisters and I catching flounder with our Snoopy push button fishing rods. Although I don’t get to fish as often as I did when I was child, it’s still one of my favorite things to do with my family. Thus, I was so excited to join my Bay Area Outdoor Afro family on an adventure to Lake Chabot for Free Fishing Day.
When we gathered on the dock, I discovered that like me, many Outdoor Afros had learned a love of fishing from their parents. We at Outdoor Afro celebrate these stories because they validate our love for re-connecting black people to nature. And as evidenced by the conversations we had on Saturday, many of our relationships with the outdoors were passed down through fishing.
Sarita talked about fishing with her parents and using bamboo polls. Linda shared her techniques for cleaning fish and how to take care so that flying fish scales don’t surprise you. Moreover, we were delighted to be joined by Tip and his children.
All of them excitedly recalled previous family fishing adventures and looked forward to trying their luck at Lake Chabot.
As everyone set off to stake their spot, strangers became close friends, teachers and students. We laughed and cheered each other on as Outdoor Afros plucked up squirmy night crawlers and baited their first hooks. We all stood back as folks learned how to cast their rods. And we all enthusiastically encouraged one another, when a rod tip bent or a bobber briefly submerged.
The joy and comradery between Outdoor Afro’s made for wonderful experience. At lunch time, we collectively gathered to share our fishing reports. And as with any fun fishing adventure, each of us came back with memorable stories to share. For example, Kristin, perhaps out of eagerness to catch her lunch, instead hooked her own lunch bag!
And Sarita wowed us all with her stories of the “boatload of fish” that she tossed back. When we asked her how big the fish were, she, as many a seasoned fisherperson has done in the past, stretched her hands to her wingspan and exclaimed “This big!”
As we smirked at this “tall tale,” we also basked in all of the joys of the day. And we remembered that, as many of our parents taught us, a good day of fishing is any day of fishing.
Who taught YOU how to fish? Share with Outdoor Afro your favorite fishing tales or photos of your favorite fishing tails!
Wearing Labor Day White and Singing About Gardens
Outdoor Afro member @ebonisenai just sent us this inspirational and beautiful video of a tribute to love and living in our gardens.
With a clap-clap and wistful sound, Laura Mvula beautifully channels the lyrics of Green Garden, while calling up the ancestors and having church in a swath of golden green.
Take me outside
Into the green garden