Here is some water fun enjoyed by my kids and their cousins, courtesy of swimming skills! Knowing how to swim is the gift that keeps on giving and is easiest to learn as a young child. Swimmers enjoy sports such as kayaking, rafting, diving, snorkeling, scuba and can interact with water confidently.
According to a Diversity in Aquatics article, “Black children drown at a rate more than three times that of white children,” and nearly 70 percent of African-American children do not know how to swim according to a YMCA survey.
It’s …

Yesterday could hardly be considered warm in the Bay Area, with temperatures never jumping above 68 degrees where I live. But it is summer and a weekend, thus me and the kids in my care craved more than a park, we wanted to be near a body of water. So my kids, along with two nieces and a nephew decided to pile in the truck in the afternoon and head to the hills of Tilden Park to spend time at Lake Anza, which is considered the jewel of the East …

I saw this picture and I simply thought: Evocative! The water, the warmth, the smell of fresh green things…happy summer Outdoor Afros. I hope you all get to make memories like this one!

Photo courtesy of Tyson Simmons, who is pictured here with his sister at Colorado Bend State Park.

By Paul Richardson
“The sport of kings”
I am pretty sure some of you have heard that phrase before, but did you know that in some circles, it also refers to the sport of surfing? Earliest reports say that the first recorded observation of people surfing was 1779 in  Hawaii. While I am not trying to steal Hawaii’s thunder on this one, I think there’s a pretty good chance that somewhere else in the world around that time others were “surfing”. In any event, as far as the “written” history is concerned, …

Quality Time!
Just received this picture tonight from Brian Drayton of Richmond, California. His family was Spotted on Sunday (SOS) in the San Francisco Bay kayaking!
Thanks for sharing Brian!

Clothesline Photo: Renee Gunter
I was going to write about sustainable landscaping – and I still will, but something else came up:
The Laundry.
Washing clothes is actually my least favorite chore right along with mopping the floor, taking out dripping trash, and investigating that “noise” in the middle of the night. Thus, I view the laundry task through a ‘necessary evil’ lens. But I like when it’s done. The problem is, it’s never done! I think I handle laundry fairly well for a household of four, but every time I get the …

Outdoor Afro just received a note from Arthur Bronson, President of the International Federation of Black Bass Anglers (IFBBA) to let us know what his organization has been frying up these days. The IFBBA’s members are comprised primarily of people of color and its membership and outreach spans the globe. The organization also targets and mentors urban kids of color to participate in various fishing derbies and clinics.
Arthur Bronson and IFBBA members Ed Hasse and Reynaldo Anderson
Mr. Bronson says that fishing for African Americans is not new, “we have …

Scuba diving in St. Croix, UVA

Reposted by Request
“Don’t get my hair wet!” I’ve blurted many times in a breathless panic anytime water came dangerously close to my heat straightened locks. I always joked that water near a black woman’s hair is like kryptonite near Superman – and in some cases, it’s actually true. Real tears have been shed for hairstyles unexpectedly ruined from contact with water folks!
I was raised to be afraid of what water could do to my hair. As a young girl, the only places permissible to …

Christine, Pastor Betty Clark, and Antoine
I have always thought of the outdoors as an ideal setting to wed, and last weekend my nephew Antoine and his lovely fiancé Christine embodied the magic of outdoor nuptials in a beautiful beach side ceremony. The two met and fell in love years ago as camp counselors at the Bar 717 Ranch Camp, located in Northern California.
My Growing Family
The setting was a stunning public beach in Santa Barbara, located about an hour north of Los Angeles. In addition to the invited guests, scores of …