Diversity

Adventure Activism, Adventure Media Review, Cool on Kickstarter, Diversity, Film preview / 19.06.2015

Anthony DeJesus is a product of his environment. Raised in the Bronx borough of New York City his life circumstances were defined by poverty, crime, drug abuse and violence. Confined first to the failed social infrastructure of low-income housing and foster care Anthony found himself on an inevitable course that like many young African-American men led to incarceration. But since getting out of prison this ambitious youth aspires to rise above his upbringing and hopes to achieve something more. “I’ve been looked up all of my life, mentally and spiritually,”...

Diversity, High Country News, Magazines, National Parks, Yosemite / 27.05.2015

Several miles past the west entrance of Yosemite National Park, a wooden sign marks the location of an historic meeting. On May 17, 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt sat by a campfire with naturalist John Muir to discuss the preservation of America’s wild lands. Along the banks of the Merced River, near the steep granite cliffs of Half Dome and El Capitan, they talked about the creation of what would become the National Park System. One hundred and twelve years later to the day, an eclectic group of conservation professionals gathered...

Commentary, Diversity / 13.05.2015

An awkward silence quickly grew to fill an interminable moment of sheer agony. The thunderous clicks of my own eyelids boomed in my ears as I stood there blinking back at her. There in the crowded lounge amongst the sounds of clinking glasses and casual conversation I sighed quietly in frustration. Through clinched teeth I forced a smile and searched my mind for a politic answer to her question. As the seconds ticked past without a reply it’s possible she thought I hadn’t heard her. She asked again,...

Breaking News, Diversity, Madison, Outdoor Recreation, The Adventure Gap / 01.05.2015

When my friend Fred Harrington contacted me by text last year I figured he just wanted to get together for a beer. A neighbor around the corner from our house on the Near Westside, he and I, along with our wives frequently meet for drinks and dining at one of many local restaurants in Madison. “Do you have any time Wed to discuss the book nomination for Edgewood College?” the message read. “Preferably over beer, Maybe just before during or after dinner? It is due Fri.” Beer was certainly included...

Africa, Diversity, Tanzania, Travel / 28.03.2015

Over the past several months I've been touring the United States in order to promote my new book. In The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors I address the issue of diversity in the world of outdoor recreation and environmental conservation. It is my hope that by exploring those areas well outside of our comfort zones we can learn to truly love and embrace the many things that make life on our planet truly wonderful. And while much of my work has been focused on the...

Commentary, Diversity, Environmental Justice, The Adventure Gap / 07.03.2015

I sometimes struggle to clearly define exactly what I mean when I talk about The Adventure Gap. The book I wrote of the same title details several specific examples of African-American women and men who had overcome their fear and apprehension to cross the divide between where they were and where they most wanted to be, to venture anywhere their hearts desired. Today most of the barriers that prevent us from achieving our full potential are in our minds. We often talk ourselves out of doing things that...