Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion
HOC has long played a part in a broader outdoors community that has been historically exclusive and accessible only to the most privileged. In carrying out our mission, we aim to provide gear, knowledge and experiences to all who seek it. We also recognize that we must examine our own biases and blind spots in order to be a more inclusive community. To this end, we share here resources that we as a club have availed ourselves of in order to consider more thoughtfully what the outdoors means to different groups, and how to ensure that the outdoors community is one that becomes more accessible to people and more considerate of the land. If you have questions about HOC’s Diversity and Inclusion initiatives or work, please feel free to contact any member of our board. We have also created a feedback form for leaders (anonymity is optional) to report problems and suggest ideas for the the future of HOC.
Justice in June
In June 2020, HOC utilized a free resource compiled by Autumn Gupta and Bryanna Wallace titled Justice in June, which offered multiple pathways for engagement with racial justice, sensitivity and awareness.
In that month, HOC held weekly meetings to discuss these readings, audio tools and videos, and provided and discussed additional resources that related to racial issues in the context of the outdoors and/or hiking community.
The larger justice in June document is linked above. The resources we discussed are below:
- Going It Alone, Rahawa Haile
- How Black Books Lit My Way Along the Appalachian Trail, Rahawa Haile
- Birding While Black: A Candid Conversation (Session 1), hosted by the National Audubon Society featuring Kassandra Ford, Corina Newsome, Alex Troutman, Jeffrey Ward, and special guest Christian Cooper. Moderated by Tykee James and Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman
- The Melanin Base Camp Guide to Outdoor Allyship, Danielle Williams
- Whose Land Are You Exploring?, Jaylyn Gough interviewed by Jayme Moye (tw: sexual assault)
- Native Land
- My Body Is Not An Obstacle, Mirna Valerio
- This Is What Adventure Looks Like, James Edward Mills
- Walk the Earth, John Francis
- Race and Healing: A Body Practice, Resmaa Menakem
- Nadie la tiene: Land, Ecology and Nationalism, Aurora Levins Morales
- Extended quote from “The Bluest Eye”, Toni Morrison
BIPOC Outdoor Social Media Accounts to Follow
- Melanin Base Camp, founded by Danielle Williams: @melaninbasecamp
- Jaylyn Gough, founder of Native Women’s Wilderness: @jaylyn.gough
- Native Women’s Wilderness: @nativewomenswilderness
- Rahawa Haile, Eritrean-American writer and 2016 AT thru-hiker: @rahawahaile
- James Edwards Mills, author of The Adventure Gap: @joytripproject
- Mirna Valerio, American ultrarunner, speaker, author, and champion of inclusivity in the outdoors: @themirnavator
- Knox Robinson, cofounder of Black Roses NYC running collective: @firstrun
- Mikhail Martin, co-founder of Brothers of Climbing and Color the Crag: @kaledoesit
- Brothers of Climbing: @boccrew
- Color the Crag: @colorthecrag
- Shelma Jun, founder of Flash Foxy: @shelmatic
- Flash Foxy: @heyflashfoxy
- Dr. Len Necefer, founder and CEO of NativesOutdoors: @lennecefer
- NativesOutdoors: @nativeoutdoors
- Rue Mapp, founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro: @ruemapp
- Outdoor Afro: @outdoorafro
- Community Nature Connection, directed by Krystle Ramos: @communitynatureconnection
- Ayesha McGowan, pro road-cyclist and creator of A Quick Brown Fox: @ayesuppose
- Dani Burt, 2017 World Adaptive Surfing champion, physical therapist: @dani.burt
- Lonely Together Zine, short articles by [qt]BIPOC on climbing: @lonelytogetherzine
- 45 BIPOC-Owned Outdoor Collectives to Support