09/23/2020
At Healing Pathway, We're not just about healing the body. We want to be a healing presence in our world, our country, our culture. Today I'm considering the question, “Whose Outdoors is it?"
I recently read article in the Christian Science Monitor. It asks this intriguing question while highlighting an intrepid South African woman's journey (Sandra Boitumelo Phom) into a field with only 3% Blacks in it. (I wonder how many of those are women?) The question was presented as a side note but it caught my attention. It led me to consider the challenges that outdoors brings to BIPoC people, especially Blacks in America. If my history began with a people who intimately knew their lands and were instinctively connected to them, how would I feel about the “outdoors” in light of the history of my people?
Once a people deeply connected to the land, hunters and farmers, they found themselves kidnapped, chained, and subjected to inhumane conditions—too often deadly! Kept deep in the holds of ships on vast oceans for months at a time, being out of doors was not possible. Taken to a new land, a new climate, a new geography, "outdoors" now means grueling, forced labor and being treated like animals or worse. Then add the rigors and dangers for those who would attempt escape, often leaving family behind, traveling in the Underground Railroad in the dark of night—not always making it to freedom.
Fast forward to the post civil war Jim Crow era which resulted at the least in restrictive curfews and at worse in horrendous lynchings. Travel further forward to a new millennium, nearly 500 years later than the first arrivals of Blacks in America. Systems of oppression, still in place, have created mass incarceration where ”outdoors” for too many Black people is a black top covered prison yard where you’re likely to encounter white supremacist or other survival of the fittest groups, furthering a barbaric outdoor environment.
Many Blacks in America live in urban environments where if there is so much as a garden it is sandwiched between buildings. Instead of fields and forests, they’re surrounded by asphalt and buildings that block the sun. Calculate in the factors from working multiple jobs or caring for children as a single parent, while holding down these jobs. Who has time for a trip to the country which most likely would require purchasing bus tickets to get there? Kids sent to sleepover camps are a rare or nonexistent occurrence. The energy and experiences imprinted on their DNA and energy systems would carry a very conflicted message. Is it safe to be outdoors?
In addition, what access is there if they choose to explore? A treasured friend from my childhood weighed in on the subject for me. She told me, “Actually, most black youth in the cities don't get to the 'outdoors' frequently. Most inner city kids don't have the resources, let alone the opportunities for outdoor adventure. When I speak of this, I reflect back on my childhood. I was very fortunate to grow up in Willow Glen where there was Brownies, Blue Birds, Junior Girl Scouts, Cadettes, ... Those experiences were ushered into my life via my 'white' neighborhood. Young blacks don't have friends whose parents own cabins, go skiing, on swim teams, etc. It's getting better now, but resources are still sadly lacking. When they become adults with resources, and educated, and have had an introduction to outside their inner city walls, then they venture into more outdoor time.” What if this opportunity to have resources and to get outside those city walls never comes?
Contrast this to white families with economic advantages. These days working parents begin planning summer get away camps months in advance. Living in California, we’ve had the opportunity to take our kids to the beach, the mountains, annual camping at Lake Tahoe, on nearby hikes. So much exposure to nature! Next time you visit a nearby state park or nature preserve, observe how many BIPoC families you see.
After considering just this one question, is it still hard to believe we have systemic injustice and missed opportunities for a huge segment of our American population? Another Black friend shared this with me while I was writing this blog, “I think the hardest thing is that the generational trauma that most of us POC have experienced has been seen through the lens of white supremacy. What I mean by this is, I too subscribed to the notion that since I hadn’t been treated like our ancestors, who were slaves, then racism must be over, right? That I somehow should be happy for the 'growth' that’s happened in 400+ years! But if you compare that with 'growth' to non POC the comparison is absolutely skewed in favor of non POC." She continued, “I’ve learned over the last 5 or 6 months that I ignorantly and blindly followed and didn’t ask questions!! With that said, I know that I am not to blame for white supremacy, but I now know that my complacency fueled the fire. If we collectively acknowledge our role in how messed up everything is, only then can true change come.”
So how can I as a senior aged white woman respond to this need for acknowledgment of my role in it? My most recent journey began with despair and shock propelling me into education about systemic racism, “white fragility” (trust me, it’s a thing) and antiracism training. This very organically led to lament, feeling deeply the loss and my connection to it. I don’t believe we have a complete process unless we involve the mind, the emotions and eventually come to a place of *doing* something to bring about change. So what is my “doing”?
How might you be a part of the solution presented here in answer to the question, “Whose Outdoors is it anyway?” Shouldn’t it be for all of us? Could you consider donating to a charity that provides opportunities for kids living in the margins to experience Nature or have access to STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Math) subjects in school. I’ll put a couple in the comments. Feel free to add your own. (Covid-19 considerations are complicating this right now for sure but outdoors in Nature is still quite Covid-19 safe using best practices.) Give the gift of outdoors and maybe it will inspire someone like soon-to-be-Dr., Sandra Boitumelo Phom. Please share with me your ideas for supporting outdoor opportunities for BIPoC folks.
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