Diversity

5Point to MountainFilm Tour, Adventure Activism, Adventure Media Review, Diversity, Expedition Denali / 07.05.2012

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~ Chinese philosopher Laozi (c 604 bc - c 531 bc) Our journey to the highest peak in North America technically began months ago. During the past several weeks a flurry of emails and text messages across the Internet pulled together a cadre of disassociated adventurers to share a common dream. And over a weekend in May we took the first actual steps toward our goal. In a remote lodge on a ridge above Lake Tahoe our team...

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Adventure Media Review, Business, Diversity, Kids in Nature, Outdoor Recreation / 05.04.2012

Recently outdoor shoemaker KEEN Footwear launched an ad meant to appeal to people who seldom see themselves depicted in nature. And in doing so the company made a rare overture of welcome to a much-underrepresented segment of our population committed to playtime outside, the African-American Family. As part of its campaign called “Recess is Back”, KEEN aims to encourage people from all walks of life to remember the importance of play. In a strategy designed to be as diverse as possible the new ad includes a black couple with...

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Adventure Media Review, Diversity, Expedition Denali, Guest Contributor, National Parks / 12.03.2012

“Artists have gone with us into the Arctic and I have heard them rave over the wonderful beauties of the scene, and I have seen them at work trying to reproduce some of it, with good results but with nothing like the effect of the original…”it is color run riot”’ ----from A Black Explorer at the North Pole, pg. 67, by Matthew A. Henson African Americans have been explorers and adventurers from the very beginnings of our republic.  People of African descent accompanied many of the earliest Spanish explorers including...

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Adventure Media Review, Climbing, Commentary, Diversity, Expedition Denali / 07.03.2012

[caption id="attachment_6951" align="aligncenter" width="541"] Cheleas Griffie on Separate Reality, Yosemite Valley (photo by Greg Epperson)[/caption] When it comes to diversity in outdoor recreation it seems there are simply those who don’t care. After 400 years of racial strife and oppression throughout American history I’m sure we’d all like to put it behind us. In fact most of us likely spend time outside to get away from all the socially charged bickering back and forth between one ethnic group or another. I get that. But please, don’t tell me, a...

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Climbing, Diversity, Expedition Denali, Expedition News / 24.02.2012

[caption id="attachment_6921" align="alignleft" width="300"] NOLS Denali Expedition participants Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, Chelesea Griffie, Philip Henderson, James Mills & Stephen Shobe[/caption] For the first time a team of African-American climbers is assembling to make a bid for the summit of the tallest peak in North America, Mount Denali. To be lead by the National Outdoor Leadership School in 2013 this expedition aims to encourage minority youth to enjoy outdoor recreation as part of an active lifestyle as well as create a cadre of role models for careers in environmental protection. Also known...

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Adventure Media Review, Art, Climbing, Commentary, Diversity / 07.02.2012

I believe in symbols. The Endless Knot is a captivating image that illustrates a guiding principle of the Joy Trip Project. Everything is connected and united into a dynamic whole of infinite possibilities. As an expression of art I hope to share my vision of the Endless Knot to raise funding for an upcoming project. I’ve been invited to take part in a historic climb to put the first all-African-American team on the summit of Mount Denali. As one of the few people of color working in the outdoor...

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