Happy Holidays!
Hope you are enjoying the winter and holidays as much as we are! Join us on Facebook and share your outdoor winter fun photos with us, like this one!
Homecoming: Discovering Great American College Art and Architecture
Hello Outdoor Afros:
My name is Morgan Powell and this is my fourth blog here at Outdoor Afro. I'm the founder of Bronx River Sankofa - a documentary series on Cable TV and Facebook featuring African-American environmentalists from New York City's greenest borough. This meditation on the sprawling college campus as outdoor museum will be a departure from the more conventional green profiles I am known for. I hope you enjoy, share and post comments! This one's for the historic preservationists out there. This piece borrows the motto that, "The greenest building is the one that's already built."
Have you ever heard about the Emancipation Oak at Hampton University? This Virginia Landmark on the Chesapeake Bay helps define that fine HBCU campus. It is a silent witness to the freedom of our people through education for over 150 years. Great buildings and great institutional campuses - many inspired by the University of Virginia - can command our attention and tell critical stories too. 
I have found this to be true at my own alma mater. Did you attend one of our nation's many temple - hilled public institutions like me? These places, largely built in the exuberant nineteenth century, communicate a powerful sense of place with their generous lawns and buildings inspired by ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. They can be a lot of fun to visit and walk around. Perhaps you live by one such place and can savor their architecture and landscape planning as a free recreational treat. Welcome to mine.
Bronx Community College (B.C.C.) in New York City acquired the former uptown campus of New York University in 1973 under the leadership of Bethune - Cookman University's second president, James A. Colston. This campus's most famous landmark is also America's first hall of fame. The Hall of Fame for Great Americans includes two bronze busts by African-American sculptor Richmond Barthe. There you can see his casts of both Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. Dr. Colston wrote the following letter to his students at the close of the school's first full academic year. His words say so much about the power of time spent in an exalted place. I like to believe this letter you are about to read was also written out of the mind of a man who contemplated the opportunities and challenges before the Civil Rights Movement's first children. The sites displayed here -in the order they appear – are: the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, Gould Memorial Library and a composite view featuring the Hall of Fame, Language Hall, and Gould Memorial Library as seen on their west facades.
To the Class of 1974:
The Commencement that will honor your graduation this year is significantly different from all previous such ceremonies in the college's history. It will be held outdoors in a beautiful, park-like campus setting to mark a new era at Bronx Community College.
You have been fortunate to have experienced the excitement and thrill of moving to a "new" campus, and it is my sincerest wish that the uplifting experience you have had during this first year at the University Heights campus will provide the impetus to your post-BCC phase, be it at a four year college or the world of work. I hope you will come back to visit us and bring that "special" feeling you have as the first graduates of the Heights campus to a reinvigorated Alumni Association.
Of course, we hope to welcome you back not just as alumni but as subscribers to the life-long learning process. Your degree does not close the book on benefits you can derive from BCC. There are many programs and courses, both credit and non-credit, that can help you toward a better career and a better life.
All of us cherish fond memories of the "Old Main Building" [at Creston Avenue and 184th Street] and the mad dashes under the Jerome Avenue El to get to class on time. In those widely separated facilities, we created an inner campus of "spirit." Even though we now have a real campus, we have all profited from the personal fortitude that enabled us to transcend our surroundings and achieve education and closeness. You are special because you have experienced the best of both worlds.
If there is any lesson to be drawn from your unique experience, it could be that a consciousness of one's past is the only reference point for determining the future. A life motivated in escaping the past, no matter how humble, will abort any real sense of purpose. We release ourselves from the enslavement of escapism by recognizing the essential connection between past, present and future. The totality of perception is sometimes called heritage or culture. It is the mark of civilized man.
Sincerely yours,
James A. Colston
President
This article is dedicated to Chuck Vasser who publishes a blog called Community Green. He is a founder and current board member to the Bronx River Alliance whose articles of Incorporation he signed. He first got involved with the Bronx River as an earlier Director of Community Affairs (promoted from Human Resources Director) at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. He was advocating for active lifestyles, food security and neighborhood greening city-wide as a New York City Housing Authority consultant at the time of publication.
Interview: REI on Relevancy in the Outdoors
Recently, Outdoor Afro founder Rue Mapp, had a chance to chat with Laura Swapp who leads the Diversity and Inclusion efforts of REI out of their Kent, Washington corporate campus. She shares steps REI has taken to help the outdoors be more relevant and inclusive. Read more:
Rue Mapp: So Laura, it’s so great to connect with you again! Can you tell us how was your role imagined – this is a completely new role at REI right?
Laura Swapp: Yes it is a new role, and the position was born from the question posed internally, “What does diversity and inclusion mean to REI?” And in the process of answering that question the organization recognized they could better develop the internal capacity to define what is relevant for what the outdoors meant for the field and for REI now and in the future.
RM: What is a key value that informs the philosophy on relevancy?
LS: We believe employees are customers first – so we focus on diversity and inclusion with our employees, and we make sure to also recognize the organizations and individuals who get out and represent America’s diversity such as Black Girls Run, the NOLS Denali 2013 team, and of course, Outdoor Afro!
We especially want more people to know that REI is a great place to work so we can continue to grow and support our diversity from within.
RM: How will you get the word out?
LS: Just recently, we launched a new microsite, it can be found at www.diversity.rei.com. It is a portal to target the conversation for a diverse audience, as well as a network where people can join and get a behind-the-scenes view of REI. The site is intentional in that it is working to connect to new audiences in new ways.
We now have an easier way for people to navigate our opportunities, and tell stories through images that we feel cater to a younger, more racially diverse audience. One might think of it as a magazine that delivers content, context and images that are most relevant to the reader.
We don’t think of diversity in terms of philanthropy, but as smart business strategy. Our challenge is not that there’s not a younger, more racially diverse market, it’s that they’re not necessarily gravitating toward the brands of the outdoor industry. So now we are thinking of an expanded definition of the outdoors – meeting people where they are.
RM: Yes! And this is also what Outdoor Afro believes! Please say more about this.
LS: We want people to know they don’t have to climb a mountain to work here. Sure, some of us do, but others might want to chill in the park or bike in the city with the friends.
REI hopes the industry as a whole can be inspired to engage with more audiences in a new way. The biggest outcome is to cultivate innovation and an infusion of co-creators of our brand. We want to create synergy versus dictate – and we are open to change at a point in time where we feel anything is possible.
REI is a proud sponsor of Outdoor Afro, and our official national outdoor retail co-op. Are you a member?
Make it Happen for Outdoor Afro Leadership!
Click to support our Indiegogo campaign to train locally relevant and inspired leadership!
As the founder of Outdoor Afro, you know I am passionate about the great outdoors for everyone to enjoy. Here is more:
Inspired by my family, I started Outdoor Afro in 2009 to share this passion using social media. The message quickly resonated with thousands of others from around the country who shared their own images and stories that affirmed African Americans do have a positive and historic relationship to nature.
In May of this year, we launched the Outdoor Afro Leadership Team that went to work connecting folks of all ages to nature right in their own backyards. Since then, team members from nearly every region in the US have altogether connected nearly 500 people to the outdoors through recreation and conservation activities.
In 2013 we want to significantly increase the number of people we connect to nature, and to accomplish this goal we need to provide greater professional development for the leadership team to enhance their outdoor skills (hiking, camping, birding, etc).
Why is this important?
In the face of alarming rates of obesity in the African American community, and the need for more people to care for our fragile planet to support its sustainability and local community health, we all need to get out and build a relationship with nature and the outdoors like never before.
Please help us reach our goal of $15,000
The Impact
Outdoor Afro is about connecting more people to the natural world through fun and relevant outdoor experiences. And we know that people respond positively to leadership that reflects their community.
People need nature now like never before. More people getting outside now means healthier people, communities, and greater stewardship for our precious natural resources our futures depend on.
With a start-up of volunteers and monthly training calls this year, we have successfully been able to organize nearly 500 people, from all around the country to be tomorrow’s Outdoor Afro leaders.
Your support today means a significant increase in the number of people getting outside through a strong leadership team!
Please support the Outdoor Afro Leadership Team today!
Other Ways You Can Help
Make some noise about the Outdoor Afro community wherever you go!
- Co-create the conversation on our Facebook and Twitter pages
- Share the Indiegogo link with your networks!
Every action makes a difference!
Thank you for your support!
Apps Bring National Parks to Life on Smartphones
Submitted by Outdoor Afro Lesly Simmons
I love spending time outdoors, but I have a bit of a problem-I'm addicted to my devices. Its so sad, but rather than beating myself up about it I tried to find ways to use my iPhone and iPad to help enhance my outdoor experiences. Turns out there are a ton of great apps that cover all the details of our national parks and many local ones across the country. Here are my favorites:
Fotopedia's National Parks app is my favorite. Its easy to spend an hour lost in the incredible photography that populates the app--famed nature photographer QT Luong shot every national park in wide format film and 3,000 of his images are here on display. It's a great source of travel inspiration for your next outdoor trip and looks great on iPhones and phenomenal on iPads. The free app is currently only available for iOS devices.
Chimani has developed individual, practical apps for several national parks with maps, park histories and news updates specific to each location. If you're headed into a park this is an app you'll want to take along. Even better, to mark Earth Day this year the company offered to give away 1 million copies of their apps for free. Regularly priced from $4.99 to $9.99, this is a great deal. Available for iPhone and Android.
National Geographic has developed app guides for the 20 most visited national parks, priced at $1.99 each. These are useful for advance trip planning and has a critical mass of current details and useful links in one place, along with the latest weather and statistics on the parks. Available for iOS only.
Closer to home, I’m blessed to live just a few blocks from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The GGP Field Guide app, created by the California Academy of Sciences, is the perfect tool to explore the park beyond the common trails. It highlights family friendly scavenger hunts and recent plant and animal sightings. The free app is currently only available for iOS devices.
These are a few of my favorite options to bring tech into the outdoors. What are yours? Or are you able, unlike me, to leave your tech at home?
And Let the Church Say Amen – To Nature
Just recently, I had the privilege of being invited to my Levias family church, St. Paul Church of God in Christ, to speak on the topic of community health. I was raised in the sanctified COGIC tradition, where I learned how and was encouraged to become a public speaker. That girl sure can talk, I would hear the saints say, and felt then a sense of pride in a skill that serves me well in my work today.
While my traditional church participation has fallen off considerably as an adult for many reasons; like most African Americans, I still consider the church an important, sacred space and source of support.
It felt great to share the work of Outdoor Afro as a native daughter of the community, but it was even more energizing to exchange ideas about how people can begin to re-activate their connections to the outdoors. We talked about memory - historic traditions from the South to easy things to do today in the city, such as noticing birds, or investigating local parks, and getting to know neighbors better. The reception of this discussion was warm, punctuated by many Amens! that reinforced the fact that people are already engaged with the topic, and it led me to imagine what is possible if we deliberately included the church more in the quest to connect more people to nature in ways that mattered to them.
For many, the church is not only a place of worship, but also our town hall. There we receive the most relevant and discerning messages from the larger community. Thus, the church can be a key influencer of African American social structure and behavior.
In this work of connecting more people to nature, I find myself in many rooms, advisory meetings, and email threads with the discussion of relevancy of the outdoors for African Americans (and other less represented populations) in the center. How can we connect the outdoors to more audiences people ask. With 87% of African Americans who associate themselves with a church (Pew Center for Research), the church must play a key part in our planning and partnerships.
Our mission is to help people of faith understand that issues of ecology and economy—of care for Creation—are at the forefront of social justice. At Faith in Place we believe in housing the homeless, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. But even if we do all those things, and love our brothers and sisters with our whole heart, it will not matter if we neglect the ecological conditions of our beautiful and fragile planet.
In Oakland, California, Memorial Tabernacle Church has built a ministry dedicated to organizing activities in the community through their Health and Garden Ministries. “We focus on improving several aspects of congregant life,” says Tiffany Grant (33), who leads this effort that includes church hikes, and a productive church vegetable garden.
Does your church have a ministry that connects members to nature? Do you need support to make this happen? Let us know in the comments below!
Hiking and History: Honoring the Legacies of Port Chicago and John Muir
A foggy morning turned into a beautiful afternoon for a late November hike up Mount Wanda at the John Muir National Historic site. Twenty-five outdoor afros and Cody the dog were treated to an enjoyable afternoon of history, community, and smiles.
Before we began our hike, Raphael Allen, Park Ranger at Rosie the Riveter/ World War II Home Front National Historical Park, welcomed everyone and provided a thorough presentation on African American of History Port Chicago. Ranger Raphael explained that Port Chicago, visible from the summit of Mount Wanda, was the site of a deadly explosion on July 17, 1944.
320 men, including 202 African American men, were killed due to unsafe conditions at the port. Following the explosion, 50 African American men were charged and tried for mutiny for refusing to report back to work. According to Ranger Raphael, this injustice caused African Americans to organize and to whisper among themselves “Thurgood’s Coming” in reference to NAACP lawyer and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall’s involvement in the case. Ranger Raphael concluded his presentation by distributing trading cards to Outdoor Afro hikers and emphasizing the national park’s commitment to ensuring that Port Chicago is not forgotten.
Everyone settled into their own pace, with faster hikers taking the lead and the others keeping a moderate pace. While the beginning of the hike was mostly shady and cool, the sun broke through the trees to warm us up as we got to our midway point.
Outdoor Afro Leader Cliff Sorrell pointed out the different trees on the hike including fragrant California Bay Trees and various oak trees, including the coast live oak and the blue oak trees. Cliff explained that you can tell the difference between the trees by noticing their leaves.
Several outdoor afros noted that we were joined on our hike by different bird species, including turkey vultures, Downy Woodpeckers, and a hummingbird. We also discussed the legacy of John Muir and his significant role in ensuring that we can continue to enjoy national parks like Mount Wanda and Yosemite.
As other members joined us, Outdoor Afro Leader Zoë Polk pointed out the location of Port Chicago. She asked members to think about what the landscape looked like in 1944 and to think about the different reasons African Americans joined the Navy during that time. Zoë referenced Professor Robert Allen’s celebrated work, Port Chicago Mutiny, and noted that some of the men were outdoor afros of their time, joining the navy out of a sense of adventure and longing to experience the world’s natural beauty. She also asked hikers to contemplate what outdoor recreation activities the men of Port Chicago participated in, given that they had little ability to travel to Oakland, San Francisco, or other bay area culture centers for entertainment. Hikers took a minute to contemplate this history and the beautiful surrounding landscape before descending Mount Wanda.
We finished the afternoon by stopping by the John Muir House. The wonderful staff at the visitor center screened Into Forgetfulness, a short documentary film about the Port Chicago disaster and legal battle. The staff also led tours of John Muir’s house.
The Outdoor Afro leadership team celebrates all of the kind folks who joined us on Mount Wanda and looks forward to seeing everyone again at the next meet up!
For more information about honoring the legacy of Port Chicago, connect with the Friends of Port Chicago.
Thankful
Dear Friends,
I am so grateful for you, and the forward evolution of Outdoor Afro. Together, we are a part of an amazing and diverse community who love and advocate for connections to nature. To be of service to this cause is a true gift, and I am thankful to be on this journey with all of you.
Thank you for being a part of the Outdoor Afro community, and may you and your loved ones experience joy this Thanksgiving - and beyond!
Rue, Seth, Arwen, and Billy
Back to Our Roots: Connecting to the Outdoors Connects Me to Family
Submitted by Danielle Moodie-Mills, a friend and ally of Outdoor Afro, and fellow alumna of the 2012 Root 100!
The brisk chill of the early mornings in Washington, D.C. before the city becomes occupied by thousands of footprints, beeping horns, and the air is tainted with smoke and smog makes me reminiscent of the breaking dawns of my childhood—mornings greeted with my grandfather handing me a cup of chocolate tea and a fishing rod.
Born in Jamaica, my grandfather loved the outdoors. Who wouldn't love it in a place where the deep blue color in the ocean isn't an optical illusion and there is no need for Vitamin D tablets—a walk along the palm tree lined streets or a stroll along the beach is all you need. I used to ask him when I was young why he had so many muscles because he didn't go to the gym, he used to look at me laugh and gesture to the outdoors and say “why would I go to a gym?” Why indeed.
My grandparent’s garage wall was filled with tools and fishing rods for all their grandchildren—and there were a bunch of us.
The drive to the docks were always the most fun, all of us kids crammed into a car with our heads hanging out the window taking in the smell of the early morning and noticing the change in the air as we got closer to the water. As soon as we arrived we would all spring out of the car like Jack-in-the-Boxes itching to be the one who brought in the first catch of the day. We were like little sailors (minus the boat) lined up on the dock taking in the sweet salty smell of the water and watching the sun rise higher and higher in the sky. Nothing used to beat those mornings with my family outside—well, maybe the fish dinner that my grandmother would make that evening.
My grandparents were sustainable before it was cool.
Whether we were picking callaloo and mint from their enormous backyard garden or fishing on the dock or swinging from the handmade swing my grandfather fashioned for me from their largest tree—the outdoors was always a place where family and adventure intertwined.
Many years have passed since those family outdoor adventures, and it saddens me that pollution has stopped my grandfather from being able to take my younger cousins on the fishing trips I once enjoyed so much. Unfortunately, it’s not just pollution that has kept them from the outdoors—today kids spend on average 7-10 hours plugged into electronics and just minutes in the outdoors. Where I used to make up stories and find mystery under stones or within the limbs of trees they seek out video games and the television to entertain themselves.
Did I watch TV as kid, sure! But I never did find a show or game that provided me with the joy that the feel of a fishing rod in my hands; sight of the sun glistening off the water; and the burst of giggles at the first catch of the morning ever gave me. Nope, there is no screen that has ever given me more excitement as a kid or adult for that matter, then the sound of a screen door swinging open to the adventures that await me in the outdoors.
Danielle Moodie-Mills is living, loving and laboring OUT loud! She is the Sr. Mgr. for Environmental Education Campaigns at the National Wildlife Federation and Advisor for LGBT Policy and Racial Justice at the Center for American Progress. Read her musings on politics and pop culture at www.threeLOL.com
Follow her on Twitter @DeeTwoCents and @threeLOL
Atlanta Outdoor Afros Hike-Inn!
While I was celebrating with the Root 100 last week, Outdoor Afro Atlanta had the opportunity to gather up by invitation at the Len Foote Hike Inn!
About 20 Outdoor Afros showed for an autumn retreat, some traveling from as far as Florida to enjoy a day and night hike, delicious dinner, and breakfast the following morning. It is noteworthy these dedicated Outdoor Afros took time off work mid-week to make time for nature – what a treat!
Atlanta’s Outdoor Afro super-star leader Reginald Mitchell said, “This was a great deal, and everything was just wonderful - we felt so welcomed.”
Another Outdoor Afro, Nellie said, "I had a great two days of hiking, staying at the wonderful Len Foote Hike Inn (superior service), eating great food and having some of the most interesting conversations I have had in years! Great memories made... Can't wait for the next hike!"
Located near Dawsonville and Dahlonega, the Len Foote Hike Inn at Amicalola Falls State Park is a back country inn with 2-person private rooms with comfy bunk beds; hot showers, sinks, and compost toilets in the bath house; and prepared meals served in their dining room.
The Inn is accessible only by foot over a moderate 5 mile hiking trail which originates at the top of the Amicalola Falls. The hike takes from 2 to 4 hours, and the beautiful trail is entirely within the Chattahoochee National Forest and Amicalola Falls State Park.
Guests only need to bring personal items, including clothing, toiletries, and food and water for the trail. Bed linens and towels are provided and a family style dinner and breakfast are served. There are great porches with rocking chairs, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, along with books and games.
The buildings are awesome, beautiful, green, and LEED Certified Gold! You can learn more about it at their website.
Thank you Eric Graves at the Len Foote Hike-Inn for your wonderful invitation and hospitality for the Outdoor Afro community!