06/16/2020
Hello everyone,
As avid adventurers and lovers of the natural environment, The Trinity College Outdoors Society (TCOS) is determined to ensure that all members of Trinity College feel included and valued in our club. The 2020-2021 academic year will mark the beginning of our time as a levied club and we believe that with this levy comes a responsibility to ensure that our use of college funds is done in the most responsible way possible. Two of these responsibilities are modifying our constitution to reflect a stronger stance on diversity and inclusion and amplifying the voices of BIPOC students in our community and in the greater community of adventurers.
TCOS will modify elements of our constitution to emphasize the club's dedication to the promotion of diversity and inclusion in outdoor activities. These elements include:
The addition of a fourth objective to the club's constitution:
- Promote outdoor activities to ALL students in the Trinity
College community, especially to BIPOC students and other historically marginalized members of the community, in an attempt to dismantle historical tendencies of exclusion in outdoor activities and the outdoor industry.
- The addition of a new responsibility to all of the club's executive members (President, Vice President, Treasurer):
Responsible for the promotion of diversity and inclusion in all TCOS events, initiatives, meetings, and formation of future executive teams.
- The addition of a new responsibility to all of the club's directors:
Responsible for the promotion of diversity and inclusion in all TCOS events, initiatives, and meetings.
While TCOS has always strived to provide an inclusive environment for outdoor enthusiasts, it is an ugly myth that in the greater world, green spaces and outdoor activities are accessible and welcoming to all. Historically, outdoor sports such as skiing and mountaineering were accessible to only a small portion of the North American population; Outdoor activities were historically for the white and privileged. Unfortunately, many of these trends persist today as seen in the failure of outdoor equipment companies to advertise their products to ALL segments of the population and by the unwelcoming atmosphere that many BIPOC are faced with on the trail, the mountain, the water, and in the climbing gym. Natural spaces are for all human beings, but this notion has not been upheld.
As one of our first initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in outdoor activities, TCOS will work to amplify the voices of BIPOC outdoor enthusiasts. We will share the work of individuals, organizations, and initiatives aiming to ensure that outdoor spaces and activities are truly accessible and welcoming to EVERYONE. If you would like TCOS to promote a particular resource amplifying the voices of BIPOC adventurers, a historical resource on the social history of outdoor recreation, or have further ideas of how TCOS can work to make our events more inclusive and accessible for all, we encourage you to reach out to our executive team.
Sincerely,
Mirielle Korting, President
Maya Sternthal, Vice President
Shashwat Aggarwal, Treasurer
Resources on BIPOC voices in outdoor recreation and in the outdoor industry*:
*Please note that the majority of these resources come from the United States due to the lack of diversity-focused outdoor initiatives in Canada.
SHORT FILMS:
Closing the 'Adventure Gap': Bringing Diversity to Mountain Climbing: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventure-blog/2015/05/11/closing-the-adventure-gap-bringing-diversity-to-mountain-climbing/
Brothers of Climbing: https://www.mountainfilm.org/media/brothers-of-climbing
Advocating outdoor diversity and inclusivity - Judith Kasiama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVcVJheDW8g&feature=emb_title
This woman is on a mission to diversify our public lands [insights]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=84&v=cWS-zJ-7984&feature=emb_logo
How an outdoor athlete's mom helped her take risks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=68&v=MFXnnrcDzrw&feature=emb_logo
Merrell Presents: Akuna Hikes - PTSD Healing Through Hiking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=40&v=azwxA0CMqu8&feature=emb_logo
REI Presents: The Pleasure and the Pain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lanEYR7yoIo
MONUMENTAL ADVENTURES:
Expedition Denali: https://expeditiondenali.nols.edu/home
Black Canada Hike: https://www.cbc.ca/playersvoice/entry/black-canada-hike-claiming-space
Akuna Matata, also known as Will Robinson, the first African American Man to complete the Triple Crown: https://www.outsideonline.com/2402640/will-akuna-robinson-triple-crown-thru-hiking
Elsye “Chardonnay” Walker, the first African American Woman to complete the Triple Crown: https://thetrek.co/qa-elsye-chardonnay-walker-likely-first-black-female-triple-crowner/
ARTICLES:
How to be an ally in the outdoors: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blog/article/how-to-be-an-ally-in-the-outdoors?fbclid=IwAR3ZrnjBF9qjzFABxLN39VCmDbfIM8wnJfOw-8xXMRO02BIEfdvkUeqj85A
Mountain Equipment Co-Op See yourself Outside: https://www.mec.ca/en/p/diversity
Racial Complexities of Outdoor Spaces: An Analysis of African American ’s Lived Experiences in Outdoor Recreation: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4120&context=uop_etds
Black Skiing, Everyday Racism, and the Racial Spatiality of Whiteness: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0193723513498607?journalCode=jssa
Do white people dominate the outdoors?' U of T expert on race in outdoors advertising: https://www.utoronto.ca/news/do-white-people-dominate-outdoors-u-t-expert-race-outdoors-advertising
PODCASTS:
National Wildlife Federation Outdoors: "Increasing Racial Diversity in the Outdoors with Eric Morris": https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/increasing-racial-diversity-in-outdoors-eric-morris/id1403554700?i=1000447659581
Wild West: "Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro on Diversity in the Outdoors": https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/rue-mapp-of-outdoor-afro-on-diversity-in-the-outdoors/id1438005996?i=1000433942165
Hiking Thru - Episode #46 - Akuna Matata aka Will Robinson: https://www.hiking-thru.com/episodes/will-robinson-aka-akuna-matata
Hiking Thru - Episode #20 Chardonnay aka Elsye Walker: https://www.hiking-thru.com/episodes/elsye-walker-aka-chardonnay
ORGANIZATIONS:
Diversify Outdoors: https://www.diversifyoutdoors.com/
The Black Outdoors: https://www.theblackoutdoors.com/aboutus
Black Girls Do Bike: https://www.blackgirlsdobike.com/home
Black Men Run: https://blkmenrun.com/
Native Women's Wilderness: https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/
Unlikely Hikers: https://jennybruso.com/unlikelyhikers/
Spirit North: https://www.spiritnorthxc.ca/
Outdoor Afro: https://outdoorafro.com/about/
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS:
