![]() ![]() The inaccessibility to outdoor and green spaces among BIPOC communities comes from institutionalized legislation that, in many cases, segregated people of color away from public lands, like national parks and forests, or deliberately banned them from accessing these spaces. ![]() The question then is: how much are the cultural factors that influence us a reflection of the history of race relations in America? A Deeper Look at Systemic Racism in Outdoor Spacesįor this we must take a deeper look into how ownership, access, and the perceived threat of violence play a role into the history of our outdoor system. While outdoor recreation in our local city parks is important and is being utilized where it is accessible, the experience of visiting a national park and being surrounded by the natural world holds an immeasurable value and should be accessible for all. Often, this is chalked up to cultural factors, which in turn gives people less of a sense of urgency to enact change in our outdoor recreation system. ![]() However, it should be alarming to us that the few forms of outdoor activities that BIPOC individuals are depicted as participating in are noticeably distant from public lands like national parks. For instance, Black people are drastically underrepresented in national parks or forests, but Black communities and people of color are heavily represented in mass media participating in activities like fishing, hosting communal park gatherings/BBQs, or soccer tournaments. Cultural factors influence the ways in which people of differing racial identities navigate and participate in outdoor recreation. ![]() The Intersection of Race & Culture in Outdoor Recreationĭespite a lack of representation in media or academic studies, it is important to note that BIPOC individuals do engage in outdoor activities. However, even though access to capital reduces the likelihood of a person visiting a park or forest, the underlying issue to acknowledge is race. Costs of camping gear, entrance fees, lack of vacation days, unpaid leave, and other factors make it difficult for families to participate in outdoor recreation, particularly, BIPOC individuals who are more likely to face these economic barriers. Racialized economic policies, employment discrimination, unequal access to quality education, and other fundamental tools that can build a person’s economic standing have historically been denied to BIPOC communities which makes camping, hiking or any similar ventures inaccessible. population, close to 70 percent of people who visit national forests, national wildlife refuges, and national parks are white, while Black people remain the most dramatically underrepresented group in these spaces. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service show that although people of color make up nearly 40 percent of the total U.S. A combination of economic inequality, legalized segregation, and other forms of historical and present-day overt/covert racial violence has perpetuated a diversity gap in the outdoors. In better understanding the intersection of racism, policy, segregation, and access, one can argue that outdoor and recreational activities in general, have traditionally served white communities. Racism goes beyond those establishments we typically associate with it, like law enforcement, and really is engrained in institutions across the board, such as the less expected parks and recreation departments. The Black Lives Matter Movement has shed a light on how deeply rooted racism is in our society against Black communities. After all, the outdoors does not discriminate….right? What Makes the Outdoors Inaccessible and for Who? In previous articles we have discussed the lack of green space and parks in low-income communities of color and inner-city neighborhoods, but we have yet to address why Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) do not venture out into affluent communities where park space is abundant. We encourage you to take preventative measures if partaking in outdoor recreational activities. In Los Angeles, community members can participate in outdoor activities, so long as everyone practices physical distancing, maintaining a minimum distance of six feet apart from others and wears a face mask. Despite the current circumstances surrounding COVID-19, there is still opportunity to engage in outdoor recreational activity. ![]()
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