Check out this insightful set of interviews by Erica Licht, created as part of her thesis project at Vassar College in New York in 2010.
The project examined the relationship between African American women and the recreational wilderness, and more specifically how a recently surfaced movement headed by black women activists and scholars, has re-emphasized this relationship and propelled forward a vision for increased entry and accessibility.
Among those featured are Professor Carolyn Finney, Chelsea Griffie — and yours truly! Enjoy:
 

By Tracey Friley
Outdoor Afro Contributor and Founder of One Brown Girl Adventures

I made the switch some time ago without even realizing it. I guess I should have figured it out sooner, but it wasn’t until I went to Santa Barbara recently that I suddenly realized that I’m a glamper…and I like it. Let me explain.
Like most outdoorsy folks, I grew up going camping with family and friends. My dad rode a motorcycle with a bunch of his friends and one of the motorcycle families (John & Shirley) used to bring …

N'eka (30) enjoys a climb in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Outdoor Afro Tracey Friley wants you to know about another shade of lifeguard. These are the qualified staff that make her youth outdoor travel program purr…
Learn more about her program, OBG Adventure Camps that provide travel and learning adventure excursions for girls ages 11-16, with an emphasis on a multicultural camp and travel experience:

Women of Color Backpacking Trip – 30% off for all Outdoor Afros who sign up!

Last October, Oprah Winfrey visited Yosemite National Park and asked the question: why don’t more people of color experience the outdoors and their national parks? They have wondered the same at Balanced Rock. And when this disparity was pointed out to them in 2004, they led the country’s first Women of Color (WOC) backpacking trek in Yosemite—the trip was even highlighted in Backpacker Magazine.

The Women of Color backpack retreat in Yosemite has become one …

Vanessa G. (33) is the co-founder of GirlTrek, a non-profit that organizes walking campaigns for African – American women around the country for health, wellness, and outdoor engagement. I was simply thrilled to find her and her inspiring site, and I think Outdoor Afros will dig it too!

Vanessa wrote,  ”I was hiking with my husband in Red Rocks outside of Las Vegas in this photo. I’m actually relatively new to the outdoors. I had grown up in Seattle, WA and never even been to Mt. Rainer! I now …

Originally posted on Oakland Local
Welcome Outdoor Afro guest blogger CB Smith, who shares her personal connection to natural spaces, and why it’s important to support Balanced Rock, who provides the unique chance for women of color to connect with the outdoors on their own terms.
In this blog post, I am encouraging you to support a retreat for Women of Color…even if you are not a Woman of Color yourself. First, I need to tell you a little bit about what this kind of experience can mean and why it’s important.
CB Hiking in …

For Ray Burks, outdoor adventures in college forever transformed her relationship with nature.
Here is her contribution to Outdoor Afro in words and in pictures.
As an ubanite born and raised in a concrete jungle, trips to the real wilderness were few and far between.  Going out in nature just felt very unnatural.  That all changed when I went to the University of Northern Iowa and graduate school in the midwest.  The “norm” was outdoor activities if the temperature was above 30 F and nothing was falling from the sky.  I discovered camping …

Our newest Outdoor Afro contributor, Justice Fergie, recalls fondly her years at camp, and what it means for her own children today.

My Girl Guide troop at sleepaway camp.
That’s me in the bottom left-hand corner.

Don’t laugh!
Ok, go ahead.

Remember sleep-away camp? Some of my best childhood memories are from spending summers making friends, singing campfire songs, and making friendship bracelets at sleep-away camp.  My Girl Guide troop (the Canadian version of Girl Scouts), was very active and one summer we had the opportunity to camp at a site owned by a Hungarian couple out in the …

Calling all Citizen Scientists!
By Outdoor Afro Contributor,  Donna Long

Beginning today,  I am participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count. It runs through Monday, February 21, 2011.  It is the first time I have submitted data for this citizen science project. I don’t think it will be much different from Project Feederwatch, that I participate in.
The Great Backyard Bird Count, like Project Feederwatch, monitors the abundance, distribution and winter bird movement of birds in North America.
I think it is important to count and submit data on urban birds. An article, last year, in the scientific journal …