- OMG! . . . THE LATEST CATASTROPHE HAS BEEN SURFACED BY THE LA TIMES!
- “PEOPLE OF COLOR” ARE NOT HIKING. OH THE HUMANITY!!
- HYPERVENTILATING COLUMNIST GIVING OFF WAY TOO MUCH CO2
While us white folks are soaking up all our “privilege” there is within this nation a serious lack of diversity on the trails of our national parks and wilderness areas. Just when we thought all of the awful consequences of America’s ‘oppressive” society had been identified, we learn that we may have only scratched the surface.
Nina Revoyr is owed a huge measure of gratitude for her diligence which has resulted in raising the nation’s awareness of another of the shocking realities of life for minorities trying to attain a reasonably safe and comfortable life in America. A few annotations from us to excerpts (in green of course) from her article in the LA Times What’s missing when you hike the California backcountry? People of color
“But as the days passed, I grew increasingly troubled by the people we didn’t meet. There were a few Asian hikers, including a couple of hapaslike me (I’m half Japanese and half Polish) and one of my friends was half-Iranian, but not a single backpacker who was Latino or African American.”
Then Ms. Revoyr thoughtfully considered why this was the case. The possibilities were not long in coming and were not at all surprising:
– Minorities are of the impression that the great outdoors “is a privileged domain for white people”, thinks the Sierra Club, according to Revoyr: “One take on this problem is the biting video short “Black Hiker,” in which Blair Underwood’s nature-loving character is tracked and photographed by whites who are stunned, delighted and a little confused to find a black man in their midst.” (Not kidding, folks, that’s what she writes).
– For a lot of “people of color” (POC’s), the wilderness is ‘dangerous territory’:
“Escaped slaves passed through forests full of danger, much of it posed by other people. Mexican and Japanese immigrants and African American sharecroppers worked to exhaustion in the fields. These brutal histories may help explain why some groups might not be drawn to the idea of spending time — let alone sleeping — outdoors.”
– And then, there’s the likely need for “translators” for POC’s who lack knowledge about parks:
“Absent a family tradition of spending time in nature, would-be visitors may need translators or guides who make the parks and wilderness areas accessible. Shelton Johnson, an African American ranger at Yosemite, teaches visitors about Buffalo Soldiers.”
Wonder if he shows movies including “Django Unchained”, “12 years A Slave”, or “Southside With You”, a Love Story?
– Then, of course, there is the inevitable threat to safety which keeps POC’s from flocking to our national parks and wilderness areas. Ready?:
“And then there is the matter of safety. In some rural areas (there goes those redneck hillbillies), there is reason to be cautious. Last year, a black family at a campsite in Nevada County was terrorized by a drunken white camper yelling racial epithets and wielding a shovel. In July, my friends and I spent the first night of our trip near a pack station where a truck owned by one of the staff sported a Confederate flag in its window.” (Oh! The horror!) I’ve never faced or witnessed a racial incident in the backcountry, but I’ve definitely seen racist expressions in the jumping-off towns, which reinforce the idea that the wilderness isn’t safe for everyone.”
Well, there you have it, good readers. How can America ever hope to overcome all of these impediments to become a warm, welcoming, free, proper nation where people of all races, ethnicities, religions have the same opportunities to enjoy backpacking in our national parks.
Can we not start by insuring that our government provides a free back pack for every person of color, translators and guides, free meals on the trail, and cocktail parties every night at the lodge?
Come on America…shed your ‘white privilege”…”get out there” and bring a POC with you!
DLH
