Have been doing a lot of reflecting, especially on my past growing up in a predominantly white community, with mostly white friends. reflecting on this journey I am on to reclaim my blackness.
All these micro-traumas I have experienced from friends and classmates calling everything under the sun from “Oreo” to “white washed” when my dad who also continued to fight for inclusion in the outdoor world. (My love for the outdoors definitely came from my dad! He’s the one that put me in ski lessons, took me to the mountains every year for a weekend of skiing, rafting, hiking).
But these traumas had me confused and almost ashamed on who I was. I wasn’t fitting into a stereotype of what black girls do and don’t do. Time and time again I would hear:
“Black people don’t ski”
“Black people don’t hike”
And the list goes on
“representation on social media on trails is essential for everyone to feel welcome. Crucial for our personal health and health of planet” .
This is why representation is everything. I’m a black woman who lives for the outdoors. I hike, I climb, I snowboard, I bike and practice Yoga. Yet it’s a surprise for people when they see people like me and so many other inspiring strong black womxn taking up and conquering the outdoor world.
