Raising My Brown Girls To Be Unapologetically Adventurous
June 22-28, 2020, my family participated in #BlackHikersWeek on Instagram. Each day highlighted a specific aspect of being a person of color in the outdoor space. Following the hashtags & brilliant founders of the movement unveiled a gorgeous array of diversity but also the lack thereof. Black & brown people are clearly enjoying adventurous lifestyles. There just isn’t enough representation.
And representation matters.
My love for adventure developed through outside play & imagination. I grew up in a “stay outside” household. Meaning… we didn’t go in & out of the house needlessly. We were to stay outside or stay inside. There was no in-between. My parents & grandparents didn’t play those indecisive games! They didn’t want their house temperatures disturbed nor bugs coming in.
All jokes aside… the only real outdoorsy thing I remember doing with my family is fishing. My family members left out super early in the morning to claim good fishing spots & they’d stay all day. We also played outdoor sports but activities like hiking, canoeing, spelunking, etc, came into my life as an adult.
As a child I wandered into the woods for walks, biked around the countryside, & explored every nook I came across. I hiked before I knew the term. After becoming a parent, I wanted my daughters to enjoy being in nature as much as I did. Feeling the sun’s warmth against their skin & breathing that fresh outside air is therapeutic. It’s nourishing to everything they are.
Our years of exploration, however, have revealed the lack of diversity in outdoor activities. During the majority of our adventures, we’re the only people of color around. We sometimes get the looks & curious facial expressions that ask, “What are you doing out here?”
What we’re doing is belonging wherever we’ve chosen to be & enjoying ourselves in God’s vast creation.
My daughters have never questioned the lack of diversity… until now. I don’t think they’ve paid attention… until now. The past few years have made them keenly aware of the plight of BIPOC. Inevitably, they now notice how few of us are on the trails we hike & involved in the adventurous activities we do.
To be a woman-especially a black woman-comes with extra weight added well before birth. Therefore, I’m raising my daughters to be unapologetically themselves in every way. I pray they never allow the biases & prejudices of others to hinder their growth & success.
They’re also being raised to crush the stigmas surrounding black people when it comes to outdoor activities. The “black people don’t do that” statements specifically. We do THAT & then some. Anything we don’t do is based on personal choices, not our skin color.
2020 has been relentless but many adventures still await our family. We are grateful to be healthy & have learned to pivot & shift immensely. Our interests in new outdoor activities had us excited for summer but 2021 will have to be the year.
In the meantime, we’re researching black adventurers, watching them on television, & more thoroughly discussing future ventures. The focus nowadays is on greater explorations around us. We’re committed to finding ways to be more adventurous locally.
Until more people of color take up space outdoors, we’ll continue to set examples. Showing up is how Alora & Vivia are taking a stand unapologetically. My brown girls are courageously walking into places where no other kids look like them. They’re simultaneously setting examples for adults & children alike. And they have parents who are right there with them.
Are you a BIPOC adventurer as well? How are you showing up in the outdoor community?