“Seeing diversity reflected in staff is a first step toward breaking down the cultural barriers that alienate and endanger people of color in parks and other natural areas.”
Jenny Rowland-Shea, Sahir Doshi, Shanna Edberg, and Robert Fanger, The Nature Gap
Hearing Diverse Voices: Making a More Inclusive Outdoors Culture
Everyone, especially young people, should have the ability to explore and experience nature. Public lands should be accessible to all people, and yet they are not. Why? And what is currently being done to make nature more accessible to people? Through a series of interviews with people located across the country from a range of ages, backgrounds, and careers, my Honors Thesis explores different approaches to making the outdoors accessible and inclusive for BIPOC and historically excluded people and communities. Hosted on a website, these interviews provide personal insights and reflections on making outdoor recreation more just.
About the Author
I am from Cambridge, Massachusetts, but for the past four years I have been living in Saratoga Springs, New York. I am currently in my last semester at Skidmore College where I am pursuing a B.A. in American Studies, and have completed a double minor in Spanish and studio art.
In my own studies I focus on intersections of race, class, gender, tourism, memory studies, Indigenous communities and Western studies. Outside of academics I enjoy cross country skiing, running, going on walks with my dog, and have recently taken up crocheting as my pandemic hobby.