Outdoor Afro

Wade in the Water Children

The warmth of late summer offers a promise of cool lakes, rivers, oceans, and backyard pools to cool us down, but unfortunately it seems many folks never jump in them. The Outdoor Afro community has taken note of a recent rash of outdoor related posts and videos these days that start with “Black people don’t…” but we find this language seems to get in the way of understanding the complex realities and history of African Americans and our waterways.

Yet some statistics are stark. Too many black folks avoid the water because of a lack of ability to swim. Research by the USA Swimming Foundation indicates that up to seventy percent of black children cannot swim. The consequences of not swimming can have a profound personal and environmental impact that includes an increased risk of drowning, a less healthy lifestyle, and a reduced sense of connection to our natural waterways. See below Olympic Gold Medalists Cullen Jones doing his part to encourage swimming among youth.

The ability to swim also allows people to be more comfortable engaging in water sports, such as boating, kayaking, and white water rafting -- activities that can be a gateway to a deeper relationship and sense of stewardship of our waterways and shorelines.
But African American estrangement from water activities is a recent phenomenon, and not exactly traced to individual choice, but instead brought on by many generations of systemically severed connections to water.
Let’s take a step back into a time not so long ago...
African Americans are decedents of West Africans, who were once known as excellent swimmers, divers, surfers, and fisherman – and they brought these skills with them as slaves. But the bondage of American slavery and continued restricted and segregated access to local pools, coastal regions, and waterways has reversed centuries of natural behavior. Yet in spite of these limitations in our history, many black people have persisted in their engagement and respect for the power of our waterways as a source of recreation, spiritual connection, and economic sustainability - Read more.

For example, in the traditional southern black church in the summer and early fall, the sacred ritual of outdoor baptisms in rivers, bayous, and lakes was the norm. “As late as the 1950’s, outdoor baptism was common in both black and white Protestant churches in rural North Louisiana,” according to Louisiana’s Living Traditions. Even today, many churches continue to choose the natural, outdoor setting for this important rite of passage, and ritual symbol of purification and initiation.
Spiritual music and poetry has also used the river as a theme to narrate our connection. The Negro Spiritual: Wade in the Water is well-known for providing explicit instructions for runaway slaves to use waterways to avoid capture by throwing searching bloodhounds off the trail.

Wade in the water.

Wade in the water, children.

Wade in the water.

God's gonna trouble the water.

You don't believe I've been redeemed,

Wade in the water

Just so the whole lake goes looking for me

God's gonna trouble the water

Later, Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes wrote The Negro Speaks of Rivers as a tribute to the life and connection African Americans have to rivers both in America and in Africa:

 I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins. 

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

bosom turn all golden in the sunset. 

I've known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers. 

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

African Americans have also prospered from our waterways. In one American region in the last century, Chesapeake Bay black watermen and women have been boat builders, sailors; owned seafood restaurants and processing plants. The area was considered a gateway for the first blacks brought to the colonies from Africa, and later its rivers were important pathways for the Underground Railroad. After the Civil War, newly emancipated blacks migrated to the shores to ultimately shape the Chesapeake culture and economy. Unfortunately, their narrative is largely unknown in popular culture, and kept alive mainly through oral histories.
Today, while not often seen in the mainstream, African Americans are engaging in rivers, and other waterways in increasing number. Like the Maryland Coastal Bays, Coastal Steward youth of the Delmarva region, who are participating in scientific surveys and ecological restoration projects that help protect land, water, wildlife, and heritage. And further south, the Georgia River Network is succeeding in its efforts to make Georgia rivers healthy and accessible for everyone.


In spite of restricted access to beaches and rivers, there have remained persistent efforts to engage with our waterways for fun and recreation. American Beach, located north of Jacksonville, Florida is an historic example of a black-only beach during Jim Crow, when African Americans were not allowed in most public beaches. American Beach was the most popular in the region, and privately established by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Florida’s first black billionaire -  Read more about Black beaches.

Today, Outdoor Afros from the San Francisco Bay to Atlanta are getting on rivers and rediscovering opportunities to connect with our precious waterways and one another, like a recent trip last week on the American River in California’s Gold Country pictured below.

In spite of the myths, perceptions, and statistics that face us when it comes to African Americans and waterways today, there is a rich and varied history, spanning poetry, spirituality, recreation, and conservation. Today, we have an opportunity to embrace and expand this heritage to engage a new generation of stewardship to benefit ourselves, and our communities.
Is anything keeping you from connecting to rivers and waterways? Let us know by completing this survey!
This blog is sponsored by the Georgia River Network

by Outdoor Afro

Want a Backyard Campfire? Duraflame Roasting Logs Can Deliver

A few months back, the good folks at Duraflame sent over a box of roasting logs and a s'mores kit and asked me to take the product for a test spin. According to Duraflame, this is the first firelog designed specifically for campfire roasting. It is formulated with real wood charcoal and tested for safe cooking, which means it is perfect for any type of outdoor use – backyard camping, weekend trips to the lake, hiking excursions, beach fires, you name it!

This part of the label really caught my attention...

Fortunately, I just moved into a new place with a backyard  fireplace, so me, my kids and a visiting friend were eager to finally use the logs to break it in. Here it is!

The kids were so pumped! I found the logs easy to ignite, and the flames were bright, warm, but not in the least bit smoky, so my kids could roast their marshmallows without irritating their eyes.

A perfect roast!

 Thumbs up!

Thanks Duraflame for helping us create a new memory (and likely a new habit) at our place! We can't wait to try the logs out on our next camping trip! Click to learn more about this product!

by Outdoor Afro

Beach Funday - Outdoor Afro LA Rocks It!

Check out this post and photos from Outdoor Afro Leader Alisha Pye!

Outdoor Afro LA decided to have an end of summer beach "funday". So we gathered food, folks, kites, umbrellas, kids, music and we took over the sand. We laid out, soaking up the sun, frolicked in the waves, taking in the ocean smell all day. We didn't leave until we watched the sunset disappear behind the pier.
It was a beautiful day shared by a diverse group of lovely people. Truly a blessing to be surrounded by so many positive, up building people who share a love for the outdoors.
Check out our photos!

by Outdoor Afro

Outdoor Afros Take on California's American River!

This weekend, about two dozen Outdoor Afros came together to camp and whitewater raft on the lower fork of the American River. Inspired by our wonderful time with American Whitewater Expeditions (AWE) last year, we decided to return with more folks, and boy did we have a terrific time!

Our ABC local affiliate came out to cover the event, where many of the participants were interviewed to help dispel the myth that we don't engage with our waterways.

About half of us came the evening before, where AWE had set for us enough tents for everyone.  Our group enjoyed happy hour, impromptu salsa lessons under the oak trees, and a delicious late evening dinner and campfire serenaded by Prince and Michael Jackson streaming tunes. Each person was asked to share one word to describe their intention for the event. Words like: memories, excitement, tradition, fun, thrills, and connection rang out from our group.

The next morning, the rest of the gang showed up in time for breakfast burritos, and a safety talk by the fabulous staff of AWE, where we learned how to be rescued in case we took a tumble from the boat, and other important behaviors to follow on the river:

Next, we were outfitted with helmets, personal floatation devices, and paddles. We then took a short hike to the flowing river for a leisurely class 1 and 2 float before lunch.

After a lunch of hearty sandwich wraps and sweets, we were ready for some more serious whitewater action, with class 3 and 4 waves waiting for us!

After 14 miles of fun thrills, along the austere beauty and wildlife habitat of the river, it was over too soon! A bus waited for us at the end of our river trail to take us back to camp where we sang and joked our way back to the campsite.
Before leaving camp some of us had a chance to sample some award winning BBQ ribs from woman owned High Sierra BBQ and Sausage Company – and WOW is all I can say! – thanks Jodi! (pictured below holding the sign)

As the sun began to set and the last of happy Outdoor Afros trailed out of the campsite headed back home, I was once again grateful to be a part of an effort to reconnect more people who look like me to a memorable experience in nature. Can’t wait to go back next year!

Thanks American Whitewater Expeditions and all the Northern California Meetup participants for yet another wonderful time in the outdoors!

by Outdoor Afro

Frum de Ga'dun ta de Table: De Gullah/Geechee Sho Able!

Queen's Chronicles: Frum de Ga'dun ta de Table: De Gullah/Geechee Sho Able!
by Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation

The world has come to appreciate my statement which is also the slogan of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition-"Hunnuh mus tek cyare de root fa heal de tree."   However, people do not necessarily realize how literal this statement can be for me.  So, it is a blessing when I am led to meet those that realize the energy that comes into the soul from touching the soil and from putting those things that are rooted in the earth into the pot with love.   One such person that is continuing this aspect of our Gullah/Geechee traditions is Chef Benjamin Dennis of Charleston, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
We were able to launch "Gullah/Geechee National Appreciation Week" with an outstanding "Gullah/Geechee pop up dinner" done by Chef Dennis at "Butcher & Bee" on King Street in Charleston, SC.
http://youtu.be/vn5mP6ks49w
It was a perfect top off to what had been an interesting an hectic evening with the Charleston RiverDogs baseball team for Gullah/Geechee Nation Appreciation Night.  Baseball and good food are as Gullah/Geechee as sweet potato pie!  :-)
It was outstanding learning of how Chef Dennis went out to Joseph Fields Farm to obtain the items for the dinner that we would not even be able to finish because there was so much served and all that was served was so good!   It is not often that you get to know from whence the food that you consume came and in some cases nowadays, folks do not want to know!  However, in the Gullah/Geechee Nation, "fresh" means we can recognize the truck that we bought it from the back of or recognize the tractor plowing the field that it was picked from!

These are the fields from which much of the food being truck farmed to other areas throughout the United States comes.However, within the state of South Carolina, it has gotten to the point where only 10% of the food eaten in the state is grown in the state.  So, "Grow Food Carolina" is working to change that process which will allow us to have not only a sustainable economy, but one that is based in our agricultural traditions.  This will lead to continued healthy living as the naturally grown foods are a part of our daily consumption and as Gullah/Geechee farmers return to being an active part of the distribution chain of these foods to the markets including the supermarkets and local restaurants.

http://youtu.be/dBuK-HEsOwo
http://youtu.be/trX-OxlyNc0
The energy of the food that is grown in a peaceful atmosphere and harvested with love and care, goes into the pot and into those consuming the meals.  There is no doubt that the steady consumption of a diet infused with love is healing and healthy.  So, we give thanks for the hands that are being blessed to continue the planting, harvesting, and cooking traditions in the Gullah/Geechee Nation.   Ef hunnuh da studee bout disya an tink sey hunnuh ain able, den hunnuh hafa cum ta de Gullah/Geechee Nayshun fa nyam cuz mi peeople kin tek um frum de ga'dun ta de table!  Disya anointed peepol sho nuff able!

Queen Quet Marquetta L. Goodwine is a published author, computer scientist, lecturer, mathematician, historian,  columnist, preservationist, film consultant, and "The Art-ivist."  She is the founder of the premiere advocacy organization for the continuation of Gullah/Geechee culture, the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition.   Queen Quet has not only provided “histo-musical presentations” throughout the world, but was also the first Gullah/Geechee person to speak on behalf of her people before the United Nations in Genevé, Switzerland.

by Outdoor Afro

Outdoor Afros in Service of Urban Foodways and Farms

Enjoy this guest blog and trip report by Zoe Polk, an Outdoor Afro Regional Leader and a human rights attorney!

If you, like me, have been following the wonderful web series “Black Folks Don’t,” you know there are few things some of us just don’t or won’t do.  From swimming to camping to yoga to winter sports, the series has been profiling activities not generally associated with Black Folk, as well as challenging our own internal biases. We at Outdoor Afro have gotten a kick out of watching this series and saying back to the screen “Oh yes we do!”

Recently, I had the pleasure of volunteering for Oakland Food Connection (OFC) in an activity that even I would’ve said, “Black Folks Don’t!” - that is “weeding, raking, demolishing,  hammering, and building on a hot summer day- FOR FREE.” Yet we know that’s false right? Many of us urban Outdoor Afro’s have great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins who farm, garden, fish for food and still live off the land.
I grew up in Virginia, and with a Dad that spent many summers on his aunts’ farm in Birmingham, Alabama.  And he, in turn, taught my sisters and I that backyards aren’t just for fun. While my twelve year old self would never believe I would one day say this, I am grateful that doing yard work was a big part of my childhood.  Not only because of the connection I still feel to my parent’s land when I go visit, but also because this Outdoor Afro knows how to use some yard  tools!  And let me tell you, this came in very handy during the time I spent at OFC.  Throughout the morning, I shifted with ease between a hoe, shovel, clippers, pick ax and a rake. By the end of the morning, we had removed weeds, rocks, fennel and overgrown grass to create a level ground for the vegetable beds and a future greenhouse for OFC.

OFC was started by Jason Harvey, an Outdoor Afro with over 12 years of experience working in environmental justice and food education.  Located in East Oakland, OFC inspires youth who live in Oakland’s most negatively impacted neighborhoods to make healthier decisions about the foods they put into their bodies and to be stewards of their environment through urban farming and food production. They, moreover, become advocates for resources for their families and fellow community members.   Or as Jason put it “We work with youth to learn about food and what they put into their bodies and therefore have more confidence in themselves.”

Over four hours, I worked with several other volunteers prepare OFC’s backyard to become the garden for their weekly farm stand.  Jason and I talked about his lifelong passion for his work, and his recent visit to his relatives in Mississippi, where his discussions about environmental justice and getting outside fell on deaf, air-conditioned ears. I also met William, a young man who was quick to tell me what he learned about fast food and being a vocal advocate for his and his community’s health.
At Outdoor Afro, we like to say our mission is re-connect black folk with nature.  On that beautiful sunny Oakland morning with OFC, I did exactly that.  And I made sure to call my Dad afterwards and thank him for creating that initial connection.

by Outdoor Afro

"I’m Not Really a Birder"

This is how I began my group introduction this weekend at a summit of leading bird and travel bloggers from around the United States in Tucson, Arizona. In this crowd, I considered labeling myself a birder risky, like I might be ousted as an imposter from the group of world traveled birding experts with hundreds of species on their life lists.
But Sharon Stiteler -- otherwise known as “Birdchick” challenged me.

“Do you own a pair of binoculars?” she asked.
“Um, yeah,” I said.
“And how many bird books do you own?”
I stared at her blankly as I started running through my mind the bird guides I owned, and wondered if I should count the wildlife photography books too…
But before I could respond, Sharon said with a shrug, “you’re a birder.”
Busted.
Our group came together to network and help Swarovski Optik (yes, the crystal folks) learn about the role of social media and bloggers to connect more people to the world of birding through their premium lenses. And over two days of focused bird searching and observing in the stunning mountains and valleys surrounding beautiful Tucson, we each had a chance to try out a variety of scopes and binoculars that put the bins I have been using at home these past two years to shame.

Life List: A list of each bird species a participant has seen in a lifetime

But there was something else about my birder disclaimer that nagged at me over the weekend, and I finally realized it had a lot to do with how the birding community is perceived beyond its traditional participants.
You see, many people I know have not even heard of the term “birding” as an activity to do, much less be.

For generations, African Americans have known and identified birds and other wildlife necessary for living in close contact with rural land and for pleasure. But in recent generations, as more of us have moved to busy cities that distract us from the natural world, there is an opportunity to re-engage the appetite for birding again, although it is critical to make the experience directly relevant to how people can expand their quality of life. This has to happen long before people might seriously contemplate the nuances of a binocular investment.

Bins: Short for binoculars - an essential tool that allows viewers to get close looks of birds from a distance

In the years since Outdoor Afro began, I am proud to have successfully led bird trips in my local urban area, where I feel pretty knowledgeable and comfortable as a leader, but initial reactions to the invitation for new participants to bird have been lukewarm at best, and at worse, with some trepidation. “That’s different,” I have often heard in response, with a slight tone of humor on the tongue.
But after each successful trip, participants clearly get that birding is pretty darn fun, and a chance to engage with the natural world in a creative way.
So, why bird?

With all the experience I have had birding in my local area and blogging about it with the help of my friends; this weekend brought the need for more people to experience birding into sharper focus. Unlike what some imagine, birding is not a solitary geek-out focused only on birds. The natural and built environment where birds can be found is the stage from which to observe and study other wildlife, flowers, trees, and to contemplate our human connections to the natural world. Awareness of these connections has the potential power to heal individuals and communities. In nature, your cares and stress fall away, and you become aware of something so much bigger than your daily concerns.

Birding is also a perfect companion sport, linking famously with hiking, fishing, camping, kayaking, hunting, picnicking, and any other thing you can imagine doing in the outdoors; rural or urban. Birders can be of any physical ability, be wealthy or poor; travel to faraway places to catch a rare species, or gaze at city birds out of an apartment window. Birding meets people where they are.

Scopes: a small portable telescope, optimized for the observation of birds and other objects

While birding can be done alone, the company of others can greatly enhance the experience. People routinely gather for festivals, online, and even travel to exotic locations to observe local species together. Had it not been for the experienced birders in my midst, and the terrific company and laughs our group shared as we hiked, drove, and played, there is no way I would have been able to have so much fun, and see so many rare and amazing species not found where I live, like this Mexican Spotted Owl:

So yes, it’s true…I am a birder.
And after such a whirlwind birding weekend, I am even more proud and inspired to share an activity that is so much fun, and for you.
To learn more about birds, birding, and everything else in between, check out these blogs by my new friends and other resources that will point you in the right direction. Tell them Outdoor Afro sent you!

• 10,000 Birds
• American Birding Association
• Birdwatcher's Digest
• Birding is Fun
• E-Bird
• Laura M. Kammermeier - Travel and Birding Blog

Big thank you to Sharon Stiteler, the Bird Chick and Swarovski Optik’s Clayton Taylor for hosting such a wonderful event -- and helping me find a real life Road Runner on the way to the airport!

by Outdoor Afro

Introducing Hike4Life

Outdoor Afro is pleased to partner with so many great folks and orgs, such as Hike4Life.  After so many months of communicating via social media,  Jerel Ferguson, Hike4Life founder was able to generously share a guest blog on Outdoor Afro, and his inspiration to connect more people to nature. Enjoy!
Welcome To Hike4Life
My name is Jerel Ferguson from Boston Massachusetts and I am Executive Director of Hike4Life.  I am a passionate outdoors-man.  I love nature and Hiking.  I enjoy outdoor sports. I'm a conservationist (a tree hugger) naturalist, environmentalist and a Father to 3 wonderful sons.
Growing up in the city amongst the fortresses of brick and stone, I really didn’t have much exposure to nature.  The only wildlife I had known growing up were the neighborhood squirrels, pigeons, stray cats and dogs and occasionally rats. Now, while all of this may sound demeaning, it has made me appreciate the wildlife that I discover now as an adult even more.
Hike4Life began in May 2010 when I along with a friend co-founded the idea for this great organization.  We basically said, “Let’s get a bunch of our people together and go on hiking trips.”  This wasn’t an easy thing to do in our early stages.  We agreed to use technology: Facebook, Twitter and even a start up website, all in the same day, to get our intentions out into the world fast, free and no start-up waste.
Getting Black people to try something ‘new’ was challenging and still is.  I at the time of our inception had been hiking about 3-4 years before, so to me it was normal. But, to other people of color it was taboo.
“Black people don’t hike!”
This was preached, screamed, hollered, text, emailed, written, phoned and I even think I saw a plane flying with a banner that said those words.  I was beside myself when I first heard it, and then I had to think.  Why don’t Black people hike?  It never dawned on me until it was put in my head that it was to a degree true.

There could be historical-reasoning.  Black men and women were forced to escape from slavery through the woods and wilds of Slave Era America.  Whether it was encountering wild animals or slave catchers dogs, we could never find solace or peace in the woods.  Saying that there may be an ingrained fear in our DNA of the wilderness isn’t really an overstatement, it could be that an inter-generational phobia could have been passed from generation to generation due to the experiences of our ancestors.

On my many trips to the outdoors, I was the only one.  I would never see people that looked like me out on the trails.  In light of that realization I accepted the challenge and vowed to break that urban myth and get people that looked like me, up and out!
We did some national research, to find out if there were other groups like ours and to my dismay, we didn’t find any, until we found Outdoor Afro!  I was amazed to see how many Black people there were out there sharing their love of the outdoors with the rest of the world.  I saw so many happy faces of people that looked like me in environments that I would only see Caucasians or Asians, it was as if I was given a new freedom to do what I wanted to do and not be afraid to do it!  I was certainly inspired and even more excited to make Hike4Life a success, so we went to work.

We already had a group of friends that liked hiking so it was easy to get them out with us. We began to look for community organizations that would be interested in adding outdoor activities to their programs.  Taking a grassroots approach, reaching into places we weren’t expected to be, we were fortunate to find a great group of people with the Young Professionals Network of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.*
So, being young professionals ourselves it was a no-brainer to work with this progressive group of our peers and to involve them with our brand new program.

*YPN is a group of young Black professionals (21-40 yrs old) who engage in leadership development, economic empowerment, and community service. Their mission is "to provide a forum for African - Americans and other professionals of color to focus their energies on community service, social consciousness, political involvement, and youth mentoring’. 
Get up. Get out. Go Hiking!
Hiking is a fun and inexpensive way to improve overall fitness as well as a spiritually and mentally rewarding experience. Studies show that African Americans are at a greater risk of being diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure (hypertension) more than any other race and our numbers are on the rise.  The health benefits of hiking and other outdoor sports are various and many. From casual nature walking to intense hiking trails with numerous elevations, hiking is both mental and physical, and has the ability to reduce chronic health risks one step at a time.

While Hike4Life is inclusive to all, our primary mission is to engage the African-American community and other minorities in hiking and outdoor sports. The objective is to dismiss the idea that these activities are designed for non-African-Americans. We feel that it is very important for people of color, to re-establish our connection to the outdoors and to nature.

Hiking is not meant to be an activity that is geared for experienced hikers only, we also guide hikes for children, family hikes and even senior walks in the woods to challenge just about all age levels of and fitness.  Hiking is for all, a physically and spiritually refreshing journey open to the average person who does not routinely exercise.
I hike, to take a break, a break from the norms of society, from the noise and from worldly responsibility.  A backpack on my back, a trickle of sweat down my bearded cheek and even a welcomed mosquito bite, lets me know that I am alive and well, living and learning to tell of my adventures in the outdoors.

"Hiking has health benefits beyond those of walking around the neighborhood" (Roseboom)

Starting this organization has been a wonderful and amazing experience.  I've made new friends and have explored places I never thought I would see.  I've lived in Greater Boston all my life and I love the many green spaces it offers.
Passion
Hike4Life is part of my passion.  The other part is taking care of the people in my community.  We’re hurting in more ways than one.  We’re at the bottom of the top and the top of the bottom.  In health and wealth we’re at the bottom and unhealthy and poor we’re at the top, that alone is enough to get anyone to get up and get out and do something positive with themselves.

Commitment
My commitment is to my health and well being and the health and well being of people everywhere.  Particularly African-Americans.  Our lack of natural exposure or “Nature Deficiency” is what drives me to do what we do.  We’re dedicated to our families, our communities and to our people.

The Future
Because of our love of the outdoors and fitness, we’ve incorporated Kickball and Dodge Ball, Zumba, Yoga and soon Double Dutch into our programs.  We’ve partnered with the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston Moves for Health, 1 Million Pound Challenge, the Boston Collaborative for Food & Fitness and Operation Fit Mom, which focuses on personal training for busy moms and families.  Life Coaches, massage therapists, nutritionists and engaged community leaders that share our passion for health, wellness, fitness, group activities and environmental awareness within the African-American community.
 
There’s a lot of wilderness out there in the middle of this great country, Let’s Get up. Get Out. And Go Hike it!!!
Thank you for reading!
Jerel Ferguson
Executive Director
Hike4Life (New England)
www.hike4life.org
facebook.com/hike4life

by Outdoor Afro

REI Career Spotlight: Barb Williams Talks Merchandising

Just recently, Outdoor Afro had the opportunity to sit down and meet Barb Williams, REI Divisional VP/GMM - Outdoorwear, at Outdoor Retailer last weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our conversation was filled with laughter, industry insights, and great reasons to work at REI. Read more about her role, and how you can get involved!
Tell me how long you’ve been with REI and why you decided on a career with the co-op?

I’ve had the pleasure of being with the co-op for 26 years. Prior to joining REI I worked as a retail sales specialist and buyer in a number of shops in Canada and the U.S. I was thrilled when REI moved into Spokane and provided me the opportunity to join a larger retail chain. Given my prior experience, I was very interested in a buying career and moved to the corporate campus within a year.
Why I've stayed so long is because the organization has continued to gel with both my strengths and ambition.
What is your role at REI and how does your role help to drive REI’s business?
My current role is Divisional Vice President in Merchandising, specifically responsible for Footwear and Clothing. My role sets the vision and establishes growth priorities to ensure we’re driving future business. My role sets expectations for supporting a culture of risk taking and driving product innovation. I am accountable for driving our business plan, product and strategies forward.
What are the types of skills you look for in hiring individuals into the Merchandising division?
The following are key attributes we’re looking for in key future leaders in Merchandising.

• Ability to influence and drive results through others
• Ability to assess a broad range of business situations and make good decisions keeping the total company perspective in mind
• Industry leadership and influence
• Ability to recognize marketplace, lifestyle, and product trends that impact merchandising categories and create plans to meet market opportunities
• Anticipate and plan for people and process changes as business needs evolve and to deliver growth
• Ability to influence staff, colleagues and others along through effective communication and direction

In your opinion, which one or two REI employment benefits are the most outstanding and why?
I truly believe that our profit sharing benefit is one that sets us apart from other organizations and gives us a competitive recruiting advantage. The other benefit is our support of a customized work environment.  We have employees that flex their schedules by working four 10 hour days and others that start their day by working the first few hours  at home so they can send their kids off to school. We’re supportive and exploring unique custom opportunities on a regular basis. Having this available provides a work/life balance that is one of our core competencies.
REI has an amazing recognition program.  In your opinion, why is recognition so important to REI?
To see the smiles and tears on the faces of the Anderson Award recipients, honorees of our recognition program named after our founders, is to understand what it means to hold recognition as a priority. In many cases this award provides employees their first experience leaving their state, riding a plane and being embraced by other recipients and all the leaders at REI. We’re acknowledged by our members for our devotion to service.  Openly thanking our valued employees for their service to our co-op is our way of ensuring their extraordinary efforts have a positive impact on not only them, but all of their peers.
 Click to learn more about careers at REI!

by Outdoor Afro