LA Times: Camping is segregated because gear is too expensive

quote:

---

In May, Mo Jackson was camping with a friend in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. They woke at 5 to start a fire, make breakfast and — in the midst of a pandemic — experience the peace that comes with an early morning in a secluded spot.
The beauty of that morning moved Jackson to tears. “I had the most clarifying moment. You know, I just thought, I wish everyone could feel this.”

Jackson realized that, although they could not help everyone feel more connected to nature, they could get a few more people outside by offering free camping gear. “That day I was like, OK, what can I do to get more Black people outdoors? And I thought, well, I have enough savings to get three camping kits together.”

---

quote:

---

A 2018 study by the Society of American Foresters found that between 2010 and 2014, 94.6% of visitors to national forests identified as white. People who identified as Latino made up 5.7%, and those who identified as Black made up 1.2%.
Jackson’s personal experiences bear out those numbers. They grew up camping and hiking but noticed at an early age that not many other families resembled theirs. “My dad and I would almost always be the only Black people at any camp we went to,” Jackson said.

---

quote:

---

“I think there is a lot of white guilt right now,” Jackson said, explaining why donations suddenly took off. “We’re all learning and growing; sometimes guilt is part of it too — not that we want guilt and shame, but we do want growth.”

---

quote:

---

The disparity in access to the outdoors is particularly frustrating to Harris, who pointed out that those who could most benefit from being in a rural environment have often felt excluded. “Being in nature is healing,” she said. “People who need that healing most are Black and Indigenous people, and the idea that it’s inaccessible … it’s just not right.”

---