The outdoors has been unequivocally expressed as a place that is for everyone. We now have solid evidence and studies to support the mental and physical benefits that come with spending time outdoors and in nature. Yet the 2019 Landscape Review of National Parks and AONBs conducted by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs found:
“Sometimes on our visits it has felt as if National Parks are an exclusive, mainly white, mainly middle-class club, with the rules only members understand and much too little done to encourage first time visitors.”[1]
The report also highlighted that “the countryside is seen by Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and white people as very much a ‘white’ environment’”[2]. Why is that?
Growing up I didn’t have much interest in the outdoors, mostly because it wasn’t presented as something I could do and also because I didn’t see anyone that looked like me involved in it. Outside of athletic running or football, I rarely, if ever, saw Black people in the outdoors; or saw Black hikers, climbers, boulderers, skiers etc let alone a Black Woman doing these things. There wasn’t anyone that advocated for me to visit the outdoors, therefore, I believed it wasn’t available to me. On top of that, when my parents moved to England, they were met with racist hostility, so for me as their young Black daughter to ask to go hiking in the countryside, where it is predominately white, was unfathomable. Even now, my mum still has a level of trepidation when I tell her some of the areas I go exploring alone.
It wasn’t until I went to Dartmoor in 2018 that my love for hiking started to blossom. I found that being outdoors and in nature was so refreshing and beneficial to my wellbeing. My eyes were opened to the many exciting and stunning places the UK has to offer and I haven’t kept quiet about being outdoors and the benefits of hiking since.
Although the outdoors isn’t racist, it is nonetheless coloured by racist attitudes. From being told to go back to the ghetto, getting strange looks, being spoken over, people presuming I don’t know what I’m doing or where I’m going and even being asked questions like ‘do Black people hike?’ The outdoors has sometimes felt like another space I am not welcome. As my love for hiking grew, I wanted to explore the outdoors more with other Women like me, those who have a passion for the outdoors or were new to hiking. I wanted to be in a space with likeminded Women without the pressure of being the only Black person in the group.
What is BGH about?
Black Girls Hike was setup in 2019 as a safe space for Black Women to enjoy the outdoors and be themselves without feeling judged, misunderstood or experiencing microaggressions from others. For many black women, getting outdoors can feel intimidating especially when you don’t see people you identify with. That’s why Black Girls Hike was created; to empower black women to feel comfortable outdoors and create a community and sisterhood. It is about representation and visibility and we believe it matters.
Diversifying the outdoors has long been an issue that needs to be tackled in a meaningful way, however it is often treated like the last piece of ‘AOB’ that perpetually remains on the meeting agenda and left to gather dust. We always ‘hear’ about increasing diversity but there is a lack of power and prioritisation behind it. The Landscapes Review highlighted that the topic of diversity was rarely raised amongst governing bodies that look after national landscapes.
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and the media spotlight gave the power and prioritisation for the outdoor community to critically evaluate and take seriously the lack of diversity there actually is in the outdoors. To question who the gatekeepers are, challenge the status quo within the outdoor industry, ask uncomfortable questions and hold people to account. BLM movement has shown that we can no longer get away with doing an inauthentic bare minimum.
The response to Black Lives Matter and the Outdoors has been mixed. At times it has felt like a ‘scramble for Africa’ with brands, organisations and individuals trying to accumulate as many Black and Ethnic minority voices who have worked hard to create their own space and platforms in the outdoors. Other times, addressing these issues of diversity and representation in the outdoor has been met with dismissiveness and outright hostility, take the backlash from the BBC Countryfile episode on 28 June for example. Nevertheless, we’ve seen overwhelming support for Black Girls Hike and many people amplifying why Black Girls Hike and why we as an Afro-Caribbean Women Only hiking group is needed and necessary.
Oge Ejizu is the London regional leader of Black Girls Hike. She says: “I didn’t grow up with the outdoors and had very little interest in walking/hiking until a friend took me to Dartmoor in 2018, and that’s when everything changed. I found my own passion for the outdoors and I’ve just scratched the surface! Getting outdoors helps me challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. It’s so much fun exploring new places!”
Follow Oge on Instagram: @ogsworld
Follow Black Girls Hike and get involved:
Facebook: @bghmcr
Instagram: @bgh_uk
Twitter: @UkBgh
What is the BMC doing?
The volunteer-led BMC Equity Steering Group (ESG) was formed in 2006 to aid the BMC on matters of equity as well as looking at ways to reduce barriers to climbing, walking and the outdoors for under-represented groups.
Since its formation, the ESG has been involved with projects of all kinds from disability symposiums supporting practitioners working with people with disabilities to equity symposiums aimed at creating more outdoor leaders from BAME backgrounds, as well as delivering disability awareness in rock climbing courses and helping to develop the Paraclimbing Series of climbing competitions.
In April 2020, the BMC was awarded the Intermediate level of the Equality Standard for Sport. There are four levels of achievement: Foundation, Preliminary, Intermediate & Advanced. To gain the Intermediate level involved a large written body of work showcasing what the BMC was doing well, what it would improve going forward and where it wants to be in a few years.
This submission was assessed by an Equality Assessor, Jane Holdsworth and the BMC gave a presentation as the final stage of applying for the standard. Jane gave very positive feedback to the BMC and we soon received word from Jamie Hooper, the Sport England Senior Equality and Diversity Manager, that the BMC had achieved the award with flying colours.
The BMC is in a great position to help create inclusive events and projects, having a vast array of really good people with experience, knowledge and time they are willing to offer. We’d like to thank all the volunteers who have supported and continue to support the work of the Equity Steering Group.
FIND OUT MORE: www.thebmc.co.uk/equity-steering-group
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