Color My Outdoors

💡 We're full of new wisdom after yesterday's webinar on "Best Practices in Equitable Grantmaking for Outdoor Recreation." ORR's Together Outdoors brought together leaders in the field including Darren Josey Lesford H. Duncan, MPH and Jil Littlejohn Bostick to have a conversation facilitated by Outdoor Recreation Roundtable ‘s Senior Program Director Ambreen F. Tariq on ensuring that grantmaking meets the needs of the communities it serves and the impacts that they desire for a stronger outdoor recreation economy. Check out these key insights from yesterday's session and you can checkout the full recording: https://lnkd.in/eTctG-FY

Change for Change with Color My Outdoors We're excited to launch our annual Round Up campaign, where guests and staff round up their change at checkout for a fantastic cause: Color My Outdoors! This organization champions diversity in the outdoors, celebrating the beauty of people of color enjoying nature. Your change will directly fund wilderness training scholarships for trip leaders. This empowers more individuals to explore and lead unforgettable adventures for all! Small change adds up! Let's make the outdoors more inclusive and accessible. Visit any NOC location or their website below to learn more and join the movement. #ChangeForChange #ColorMyOutdoors #NOCAdventures #NOCAdventures Simone Adams ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eRbbdYn5

My MSNBC debut🥲🙌🏾 I recently joined Rev Al Sharpton live on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation to discuss a recent study on the state of climate change x Black Americans. It was an honor to speak alongside my friend and prolific EJ leader (and one of my inspirations!) Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali on the ways the climate crisis is disproportionately impacting our communities AND how philanthropy is missing the mark when it comes to scaling up community-led climate solutions. This was my very first subject matter expert commentary on live TV and I was **nervous* but so grateful to have had this opportunity. I grew up watching the news with my parents every night and this Sunday, they got to watch (and cheer me on) from upstairs while I visited them 🥹

Hashtags like #BlackOutdoors and #HikingWhileBlack contain tens of thousands of posts celebrating Black outdoor enthusiasts--but this growing market is still largely unexplored. 🌿 A 2021 Outdoor Foundation Trends Report found that 75% of outdoor participants were white, and only 9% identified as Black. The vast beauty of nature should be accessible to everyone, yet Black Americans are significantly underrepresented in the outdoor industry, and it's a missed opportunity for brands. The good news? The tide is starting to turn. 👉🏾 Forward-thinking brands like Arc'teryx, Patagonia, and The North Face are coming together to create continued inclusion and education of the outdoors with not-for-profit initiatives like Opening Up the Outdoors. 👉🏾 An emotional and impactful video from Subaru of America called "A Beautiful Silence" celebrated Black and Deaf inclusivity to promote their support for national parks and challenge diversity norms. But there's more to be done. We need to see a wider range of Black faces on hiking trails, in marketing campaigns, and leading outdoor gear innovation. Which outdoor brands do you think are getting it right? Which ones do you want us to work with next? #OutdoorIndustry #OutdoorBrands #Representation #EarthMonth

Black History Month - Highlighting African Americans in Environmental Conservation: Simone Adams For Simone Adams, as a young girl growing up in Marietta, GA, she has always been passionate about the outdoors–where it was going hiking, camping with her dad, or exploring the woods and creeks– they all brought an immense amount of joy to her spirit, even if she didn’t see many people like her out there doing it. Back then, the lands were undeveloped, so she took full advantage of the invitation to explore these woodlands. As she got older, she moved into the inner city of East Atlanta to go to college receiving her bachelors and Masters. But although it has become highly developed and burdened with gentrification, she still found ways  to discover and explore the few hidden pockets of paradise of undeveloped land and nature trails-–like Cascade Nature Preserve or Constitution Lakes– where she could still find ways to connect with nature authentically. So when she began exploring other outdoor recreation activities–kayaking lessons to be specific– she noticed what the wide majority of us outdoor enthusiasts do, and that was the lack of diversity. From the instructors to her fellow participants– these observations were apparent that being in these white spaces was a common theme in the outdoors that you’re always more than likely, will always be the only one. So she took it upon herself to do something about it. In 2021, she went out on faith and decided to start a new venture called, Color My Outdoors; a nonprofit organization whose mission is to change the narrative to celebrate People of Color in outdoor spaces and encourage representation of Black and Brown folks in the great outdoors–not just as participants but also in careers and leadership positions across all aspects of the outdoor industry. #blackhistorymonth #blackwomenlead #outdoorrecreation #natureconnection #environment #environmentaljustice #conservation #representationmatters #diversityequityinclusion

#BlackHistoryMonth Outdoor Trailblazer Celebrating Simone Adams, founder of Color My Outdoors, who is making a difference in the outdoor industry! Connect with Simone and follow the amazing work she’s doing to make the outdoors inclusive. Do you know another #blackhistory outdoor trailblazer? Share their profile with me and let's give them the recognition they deserve! #AllInOutdoors #Outdoors