June 19-20, 2010
New York City
Outdoor Afro had the wonderful experience this past weekend to be a part of Outdoor Nation, a youth summit designed to reconnect America’s youth to the great outdoors and inform organizations of what youth care about most. This was also the first official listening session as a part of Obama’s Great Outdoors Conference this past spring.

The event began with a mixer Friday night sponsored by Backpacker Magazine. Leadership from The North Face, VF Outdoors (TNF parent company), The Natural Leaders Network (Children and Nature Network), New …

Photos courtesy of Andrea Juarez

Many participants in the Outdoor Afro community are long-standing members of Beckwourth Outdoors, a Denver-based nonprofit organization that provides year-round outdoor activities for kids and adults and educates the public about the contributions made by people-of-color in the West. The organization was founded in 1993 as the James P. Beckwourth Mountain Club, and now they are commonly known as simply Beckwourth Outdoors.

Winston Walker just sent Outdoor Afro some fun photos from a recent rainy day urban ramble walk with fellow Beckwourth Outdoors members in the Lower …

“if I have to work for a living, this is not a bad way to do it,”– Rodney
Here is part two of the delightful interview with Rodney, co-owner of Strawberry Creek Inn, located in southern California, posted earlier this week. This interview wraps up a run of posts that contemplate the intersection of personal passion and the outdoors. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this interview about the journey of owning a B&B as much as I did:
Ian and Rodney riding a "Hybrid"
What would you describe as a memorable moment …

I met Julia last fall at the Breaking the Color Barrier Conference in Atlanta, Georgia where she did a dazzling job as conference moderator. When I heard about her idea back then for Highway to a Husband, an adventure across the country to explore outdoor spaces and find a mate, I wondered how anyone as beautiful as Julia might have trouble in the man department? Well, Julia explains why here in this sneak peek into her fun and unfolding adventure in a recent interview with Outdoor Afro:
Why Highway to a Husband now?

Well, I …

An African-American owned, eco-friendly inn and boutique hotel?
After some recent Outdoor Afro Facebook fan chatter about Strawberry Creek, I decided to dig a little deeper and reach out to Rodney Williams, one of the property owners. Rodney was happy to shed light on how the B&B was created in the scenic San Jacinto mountains of Southern California. This thought provoking interview is not only about the inn, but also an opening discussion regarding what is possible to achieve in life in spite of odds or perceptions. Here is part one …

I joined Outdoor Afro because my mother told me about some of the stories and she is a member. Outdoor Afro has so many interesting people and stories – Brightzen, Age 15
If you are a part of the Outdoor Afro Facebook crew, you might have noticed that recently we hit the 1000 milestone of fans! To some, this number may either represent too few or too many people in the mix, but I can attest that the community has grown gradually and organically, at just the right pace that has …

Welcome to the Inaugural Edition of the Outdoor Afro Blog Carnival!
Wooo hooo….confetti falls…
So what is a Blog Carnival anyway? Well, I learned it is a terrific way to spread your blog wings into new topics, while connecting with more people. And that’s all I needed to know before signing up!  But I also recognized the term ‘carnival’ has a cultural meaning for some that is different than the experience of a spin on the ol’ ferris wheel. So I decided to honor the festive connotation of another kind of Carnival …

Robert Alexander became passionate about the outdoors during his youth in Oakland, California. Outdoor Afro recently spoke with Robert  to discuss his evolving commitment to outdoor recreation.
Robert and fellow diver
Tell us more about how your participation in outdoor activities began?

I have an affinity for water. I jumped into a pool of water at age two with all my clothes on, and my mother had to jump in and save my life! She got me into swimming lessons that same summer, and I was swimming laps by the age of five. I became …

I have to disclose up front that I am pretty biased about these three book recommendations because I am privileged to know each of the authors as partners through the development of Outdoor Afro and our shared passion for people of color and the outdoors. But aside from my excitement and gratitude for these folks, they have each produced some pretty extraordinary work well worth buying for your loved ones this holiday season.
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As many of you know, Frank and Audrey Peterman have been at the …

As you know, my nephew Antione got married just a few months ago, and he and his new wife Christine departed for a honeymoon in Hawaii right after the ceremony. After checking out their vacation videos at the recent family Thanksgiving gathering, it was clear and admirable to me how the two embraced the local, wild environment as a big part of their new connection to one another as husband and wife. The following video shares the good humor and ecology they experienced while visiting the Kahua Institute in Haiku, …