We’ve done posts like this one before. During President Obama’s administration, the National Park Service found park ranger uniforms looked kind of like law enforcement uniforms and deducted that the vehicles and uniforms were scaring away minorities. In July of 2020, ABC News did a feature on the “existential crisis over race” facing National Parks, which remain “stubbornly white,” even though statistics showed that the makeup of visitors to National Parks almost perfectly mirrors the racial makeup of the country. Advocates for minorities enjoying the outdoors told ABC News they hoped George Floyd’s death brought attention “to systemic racism in the outdoors as well as other parts of society.”
A month later, the Los Angeles Times nailed down what it is that keeps minorities from camping: the high cost of entry. Camping equipment is so expensive, only whites can afford it apparently. The same goes for mountain climbing, we’re now being told.
The lack of diversity in outdoor recreation is receiving more attention. Facing Race looks at how Washington state is pushing for more equity and inclusion outdoors. https://t.co/AmiZjpXbfM
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) January 8, 2022
Natalie Swaby writes for King 5’s “Facing Race”:
Diversity experts say the lack of diversity in outdoor recreation is another example of how systemic racism plays out in our society. Outdoor recreation has traditionally been a predominantly white space, and many adventure sports take money and time that not all people of color have had the luxury to invest in.
“The equipment is expensive. Permits can be expensive,” said [Sophia] Danenberg.
Danenberg says it cost her more than $34,000 when she climbed Mount Everest, and when she made history making it to the summit, it didn’t even make the headlines of her hometown paper in Connecticut.
“The fact that my local newspaper in Hartford wasn’t interested meant that, like, it didn’t really get out,” said Danenberg.
Washington State is out to do something about it. “Danenberg breaking barriers is something that caught the attention of Charlotte Guard, the program director at Northwest Avalanche Center,” reports Swaby. “After the murder of George Floyd as leaders in the outdoor community, they realized they had work to do, including issuing a statement about their dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
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So they issued a statement?
— Sameer reTweet King Mohan (@sameerMohan2) January 8, 2022
Not this 💩 again.
I first detected this nonsense years ago when an obese lesbian decried that she didn’t see herself sufficiently represented among hikers. Some people got it in their brains that this was a problem for “the hiking community” and not just for her 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/x7GcTWkJmc
— Too Bright For Your Gaslight (@LNSmithee) January 8, 2022
Start busing people to mountains
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) January 8, 2022
Wait until you see the demographics of the skiers at Crystal & Stevens.
— Nuclear Ironman 🏊♂️🚴♂️🏃♂️🏅 (@NuclearHerbs) January 8, 2022
Checkout the lineup in surfing
— Brian Wells (@wellsayd) January 8, 2022
I always suspected mountains of being racist. There was just something about them that never quite felt right…don’t get me started on trees.
— FweedomPhDMac (@ScrutonsHair) January 8, 2022
Did not realize there were racial barriers to hiking! Might want to mention that to the sherpas. Perhaps they are voting with their feet. I don't hike out in the rain and cold either.
— Ed McG (@g5_mcg) January 8, 2022
So, I guess every actual problem in the world is solved.
— Magnus NP (@Magnus9Magnus) January 8, 2022
I dunno, if a bunch of people decide not to do something, does that mean we need to ramrod them into doing it?
— D Jones (@D_Jones__) January 8, 2022
If black people don’t want to hike or ski, what are you planning to do about it? How about leave them TF alone and accept that they don’t have to do things just because you’d like it if they did. https://t.co/ZrU5MmuO33
— Vaccine-Free (@corrcomm) January 8, 2022
Just walk outside.
— Lincoln (@lincoln927) January 8, 2022
There really is nothing left that's worth writing about, is there?
— TEQ TONIC (@teq_tonic) January 8, 2022
LOL. Imagine thinking the racial demographics of mountain climbers is a pressing problem in January 2022.
— Patrick Towey, Non-Racist (@toweypat) January 8, 2022
Why did tax dollars go to this “study?”
— op (@bombfaced) January 8, 2022
“Lower barriers to access”. What barriers to access exist to hiking in the woods?
— Andrews Dad (@Andrew_Dad) January 8, 2022
What if they aren’t interested in those activities? Why are “white people” interests and activities assumed to be the default?
— J. R. Kendrow (@elantrian7382) January 8, 2022
Shut up
— Rav Arora (@Ravarora1) January 8, 2022
The Democrats’ spending bill already included billions of dollars for “tree equity”; will there be a government grant set up for people of color who want to buy mountain climbing equipment?
Related:
The outdoors is racist: It’s going to take all of us coming together to topple these racist systems … of camping https://t.co/sk9wkxri5e
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 14, 2020
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