Our national parks are an invaluable resource—places of beauty and solace—and the perfect backdrops for a healthier lifestyle. Unfortunately, not everyone feels welcome. In 2018, only 6% of visitors in our national park system identified as Black. In addition, African Americans make up just under 7% of the parks’ permanent full-time workforce (Ebbs & Dwyer 2020).
The reasons are rooted in a history of segregation—and the stories are worth exploring as we work toward opening up the great outdoors as a part of everyone’s wellness experience.
Change is happening, but slowly, under the guidance of individuals and groups who focus on justice, equity and inclusion. Understanding the foundation of why the parks are still so white is critical in our education. Knowing the past can help us shape the future and inspire all marginalized groups to embrace the possibilities offered by our national parks system.
US National Parks: A Troubled Foundation
“If you connect the dots throughout history, it becomes extremely clear that people of color in America have been systematically excluded from nature,” wrote KangJae “Jerry” Lee, a professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State (Moore 2022).
Lee said that “American parks were defined, conceptualized and managed by powerful white elites who were racists and eugenicists.” He points to the development of Central Park in New York, for instance, that was championed by elite white families. They wanted to create exclusive recreational spaces and raise their own property values. And insidiously, sought to displace Black residents and German and Irish immigrants.
More than 100 years later in 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the creation of our first national park—Yellowstone National Park. Although Grant’s stated intent was that national parks be “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people,” the reality was not as noble for all.
The Wrong Kind of Leadership
Those who managed the development of the parks system had clear visions of which people should reap the benefits.
Marguerite S. Shaffer wrote about the inherent racism in See America First: Tourism and National Identity, 1880–1940. “In 1922, NPS superintendents decided ‘We cannot openly discriminate against [African Americans], [but] they should be told that the parks have no facilities for taking care for them’ ” (Melton 2021).
In 1937, NPS associate director A.E. Demaray doubled down. “There will be some criticism by colored people against segregation,” he wrote. “But I think we would be subject to more criticism by the colored people as well as the white people if we put them in with the white people” (Repanshek 2019).
Park marketing was designed for white audiences, and photos from that time depict only white visitors. Shelton Johnson, a U.S. park ranger at Yosemite, has called this a “culture of exclusion.” He believes that has had—and still has—a deep impact on people of color (Melton 2021).
As the park system grew, the racism grew with it. Jim Crow laws barred Black Americans from many national parks, especially in the deep South. In 1952, Black Americans had access to just 12 of the 180 state parks across nine southern states (Moore 2022).
There were some bright spots: Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes—the nation’s longest-serving Secretary of the Interior—worked for decades to end segregation in the parks. But it wasn’t until the Civil Rights Act of 1963 that such segregation became illegal (Melton 2021).
Peaceful Places? Not So Much.
The ugly legacy of segregation, however, remains.
Even in parks that didn’t overtly segregate or bar people of color, Lee points out that going into secluded areas where so much violence had historically occurred just didn’t feel safe (Moore 2022).
In Melton (2022), outdoorsman James Edward Mills further explained why people of color may still be apprehensive about entering a forest: “Much of this violence occurred in wooded areas. Patterns that kept people of color safe—sticking close to trusted friends and family, not venturing into unknown territory where one’s welcome could not be guaranteed—were passed down to new generations.”
Ranger Johnson has said that African Americans still feel “the pain of exclusion.” He sees need for an essential element to draw in African Americans: “A greeting,” he said. “A welcoming. And only someone who had not had that, would see [the lack of] it” (Melton 2021).
Charting an Inclusive New Path For Our National Parks
Recent research shows that people of color are still profoundly underrepresented in outdoor recreation. This includes the 419 national parks across the U.S. (Moore 2022). But today’s leadership has a distinctly different opinion of the value of diversity, working on many levels to overcome the history of segregation.
“We need to communicate that national parks . . . are part of your birthright,” said NPS associate director for workforce management David Vela in speaking with ABC News (Ebbs & Dwyer 2020). Vela is working to help make the parks feel more accessible and welcoming.
“A lot of positive social changes are happening,” Lee wrote. “But there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure equitable access to our country’s outdoor spaces. If we don’t manage these movements wisely, we might go backwards.” (Moore 2022)
Groups Making a Difference
Brown People Camping
One of the movements helping our culture move forward is the “Brown People Camping” campaign, led by Ambreen Tariq. “The future of our country is more and more diverse . . . We’re going to have more people of color in this country than white people, but our parks, our green spaces, our conservation spaces, those demographics are remaining white. What does that mean for the future of our land, for environmentalism? We need everyone to experience and then love the land so that they will stay and fight,” she told ABC News (Ebbs & Dwyer 2020).
Diversify Outdoors
Or consider the Diversify Outdoors coalition, led by fourth-generation Army veteran Danielle Williams. “We have to kind of tone down the elitism and just think about our language when we talk about the outdoors, because car camping—that’s great,” she told ABC News. “A”nd camping in your backyard, if you live in a family home, that’s also wonderful.”
This coalition of social media influencers share the goal of promoting diversity in outdoor spaces. The group’s website (diversifyoutdoors.com) defines their important mission: “We are passionate about promoting equity and access to the outdoors for all; that includes being body positive and celebrating people of all skill levels and abilities.”
Colour the Trails
Another organization, Colour the Trails, aims to create a “bridge of emotional, social and physical safety between the BIPOC community and the grand outdoors. We advocate for inclusive representation in outdoor spaces, working with brand partners, businesses and organizations to break barriers and create accessibility,” (colourthetrails.com). “We subsidize outdoor adventures, create diverse content and are actively working with our allies to create the change we want to see in the world.”
Black People Hike
In an interview with Deedee Sun, KIRO 7 News, Joseph Mitchell, an organizer with the Facebook group, “Black People Hike” in western Washington said, “[There are] not too many faces, people of color out there.” Mitchell brings up some excellent reasons for that to change, including the many published studies that show that being in nature is very good for us. In addition to the physical benefits, exposure to nature also brings mental health benefits like lower stress levels and anxiety. His group aims to spread the word. “Yes, Black people do hike,” he says.
How IDEA Can Help
For fitness professionals, the link between nature and better health—physical, emotional and spiritual—offers the innate satisfaction of helping clients of all races, genders, ethnicities and physical abilities to try something new. This is especially exciting if it means helping people of color feel more at home in the great outdoors.
Consider starting with programming for outdoor sessions and classes or advocate for nature walks. Explore with your clients the many benefits of a “green workout,” and always take some time to review how to connect with a diverse client base. Remember that some people might not have a family heritage of visiting and enjoying the great outdoors in our national parks.
Finally, check out how to prepare clients—all clients—for safe and successful hiking. That is, after all, one of the best ways to prepare for the national park experience.
It is, in part, through your efforts that we can help change the national parks and outdoor experience for all, turning a history of segregation into a future of inclusion.
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