Black People Don’t Camp

BLACK PEOPLE DON’T CAMP By, Naomi Humphrey

Research has shown us that there are immeasurable benefts to wilderness outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, mountain climbing, etc.. Tese various activities reduce stress, promote physical ftness and thus increasing your propensity for a happier and healthier lifestyle. You learn new skills, have a chance to create a closer bond with family or friends if you choose to participate with them or you can gain an essential “you time” that will boost your confdence and mental health. While this all sounds fun and good, who is really out there receiving these benefts? When you search up hiking, camping, or really any outdoor activity on google images who do you see in the frst 50 pictures? 100 pictures? Not Black people…. that’s who. Well, unless you search up “Black family camping” and then for the frst thirty images you get pictures of the same 3 Black families camping and afer that is just a pile of miscellaneous camping pictures. Of the top of my head I can think of many stereotypes based around what Black people don’t do. While thinking of them really upset me, the most pressing issue that I have recently been invested in is that Black people don’t camp. According to the National Park Services, only 1 in 5 National Park attendees are non-white. Out of curiosity, I decided to simply look up the phrase “Black peo

BLACK PEOPLE

DON’T CAMP

ple don’t camp” into my web browser, just to see what popped up. Tis search brought me through a tunnel of articles, documentaries, and research, all highlighting the magnitude and gravity of this situation and stereotype. I came to two conclusions while sifing through google’s mountain of information. One is that while stereotypes are bad, they ofen exist because there is a general pattern, characteristic, or occurrence that happens within a group of people (race, class, gender, etc...). Secondly, these stereotypes exist usually because of historical events and practices that are tied to the oppressive systemic institutions we have and continue to uphold in this country. So while “Black people don’t camp” is a generalization, because obviously there are Black people who do, there are piles of data and statistics that point to the fact that we… kinda don’t. Every. Single. Source. I read from mentioned how historically Black people have been strategically placed in inner cities away from greenspaces through housing and economic laws and policies. Residents in these densely packed inner cities are not only park poor and surrounded by asphalt but the likelihood of them visiting a beach, national park, or campground isn’t very high for a number of reasons….that I probably don’t have time to get into.. But I just wanted to say its sad we associate the outdoors with whiteness. On tv shows and movies how many times do you see that Black family going out to the woods to camp? When it comes to Black people and camping the desire may or not be there.. but the access sure isn’t.