Black in the Outdoors - Resetting the Narrative

This past weekend I had the opportunity to enjoy a great adventure with 18 other African Americans as a part of Outdoor Afro Atlanta's second annual Earth Day Celebration.  The opening circle demonstrated that some attendees had high expectations.  We wanted to have fun and camaraderie, experience an adventure and learn something new.  Something we didn't set out to do but did unintionally was shape, reset or dismantle the narratives about African American's in the great outdoors.  Share in our adventure as I highlight how we met such  great expectations:

Fun and Camaraderie

Campers started to arrive around 3:30pm.  The campsite was down a steep hill from where we had to park and unload.  Without prompting everyone chipped in to help unload cars and share in the workload to get camp setup.  Camaraderie was apparent quickly as our plans for Dutch Oven Lasagna and Desert were changed due to scheduling conflicts.  Everyone then switched gears to turn Friday nights 'Dutch' into Saturday nights potluck.  From the start, we saw that this was going to be an adventure and we had the right group of people to make it happen.  Friday evening was fun as we chatted around the campfire.  Some campers also took a few hours to sit in the open field to stargaze and identify shooting stars during the meteor showers.  As we retired late in the evening to get rested for the next days adventure, some chuckled at the growls of the friendly black bear near shelter 2.  Fun and Camaraderie, Check!

Adventure

It's Saturday, Earth Day.  Today is the day we paddle the Chattahoochee River in solo kayaks.  Some have never paddled before and most have limited experience but it promises to be memorable for all!  We do all the normal camping breakfast things like cook, cleanup and secure food while we are away.  Always trying to outsmart raccoons who can pick locks and raid coolers.  We head out to the boat ramp and get fitted for PFD's then it's time to hit the water.  The concern, nervousness and excitement is present on the mix of brown faces. A quick safety briefing and we're on our way.  The newness of it all is apparent at the start but in a short time their are no more rookies.  We hit our first waterfall (100ft) and we line up to take it head on.  There were a few 'out-of-boat' experiences and both were done in style.  One holding sunglasses in their mouth as the care of those sunglasses became priority one and paddling priority two. The other taking a quick river nap as I floated 'head up toes up' down the hooch, ultimately being shuttled to the bank by a fearless paddler.  Some then take a moment to have a quick laugh and dump some water from our kayaks.  Then it's go time.  Next, it's time for a much needed lunch break so we stop.  As you might expect some lunches are wet but no one goes hungry.  We didn't know it at the time but we were only about 6 miles in and there were 6 miles still to go. We continue and successfully handled some tricky rough water.  Down the river, we begin to hear gunfire and it's getting louder and louder as we paddle onward ... And it's not stopping.  We 'Buffalo Soldier' on with confidence and the gunfire stops as we approach and paddle on by.  Imagine, 19 African Americans paddling down the Chattahoochee!  We had plenty of surprised on-lookers as some of us waved at the adoring crowds of interested non-African Americans.  I felt like I was in a parade riding a float.  I can image that it looked to them like a parade of unicorns riding rainbows.  Or maybe a modern day Underground Railroad.  A truly rare or impossible occurrence in the minds of many.  We truly #resetthenarrative for a moment at least.  Yes, black people do this!  The last two miles were a physical and mental challenge.  Some had blisters, cramps or like me were just tired of sitting on my ..... Kayak for soo long.  Cue the music.  The crew began to sing songs to pass the time and shift our mental focus. It worked.  Laughter continued as we finished our paddle with 'The Little Engine That Could'. I think we can....and we did.  19 started 19 finished.  Adventure, check!

Gain Knowledge

We learned to cook lasagna and bake a cake in a Dutch Oven using hot coals. However, the best knowledge we can gain is knowledge of self.  Many adventure seekers commented that they learned from this experience and from each other.  One camper, if we were handing out medals,  would have received the medal of courage. She had never camped before, never paddled before and was afraid of the dark.  In this one adventure she faced her fears and uncertainty in an environment that was totally foreign and with folks she had never met.  The confidence of knowing that 'I can do this' in spite of my fears will go a long way for her and all those that she inspired.  Way to go DJ.  Gain Knowledge/Learn Something, Check!  

Change the Narrative

So often we face opposition from those around us about our love for the outdoors.  Most of us have heard someone say,  "Black people don't......."  or 'You like to do stuff white people do".  I usually laugh when I hear that.  Truth is, that's a false narrative.  If you are still reading this, then by now you know,  "Black people do swim, kayak, camp, hike, star gaze, ...".  I do and I met 18 others just this weekend who do as well.  Imagine that, unicorns on rainbows?  Not exactly.  Remember Harriet Tubman, The Moses of her People?  She led slaves to freedom through the woods and swamps at night and she used the stars to guide and illuminate her path.  There are many illustrations of blacks in the outdoors throughout our history.  I have referenced just a few here so use this post as your spring board to explore further.  So, this Earth Day of 2017, we did our part to Change the Narrative about Black People and the outdoors.  Check!  Indeed.

Thanks to TC, DJ and everyone for these photos.