Outdoor Diversity Article 2: Dollars for Stars

Written by Members of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task Force 

Anyone can go on a hike and sleep under the stars for free, right? That may be so at a glance, but with a longer look, there are countless hidden costs: from the cost of gear, appropriate clothing, and shoes, to the cost of transportation, and even time. Through the various interviews we have conducted as a part of the article series Outdoor Diversity: Conversations for a Revolution, socioeconomic status comes up again and again as a barrier to an outdoor industry with more diversity. 

Race and socioeconomic status are deeply connected, both of which impact an individual’s access to the outdoors. Spending time outdoors is a luxury requiring disposable income, spare time, and access to nearby public lands. However, systemic racism stands in the way of these necessary prerequisites. From the transatlantic slave trade and the genocide of Native Americans to redlining and mass incarceration, people of color have been systematically disenfranchised in the United States. This has made it difficult for people of color to obtain multi-generational wealth and build an economic foundation on which an outdoor lifestyle can be obtained. Even if an individual has enough money to purchase the essentials to engage in an expensive hobby like skiing, for example, they may not see participating in such activities as an important addition to their lifestyle due to the lack of representation within outdoor spaces. The financial impacts of systemic racism are a barrier to people of color hoping to explore new spaces, like the outdoors. 

Repeatedly, socioeconomic barriers were brought up in our interviews as one of the common culprits in preventing greater diversity in the outdoors. While talking to Jasmine, a hiker, camper, and a first-generation Mexican-American Womxn, she shared: “I had a lot of siblings, so it wasn’t like we were all going to get hiking shoes, we were all going to get tents, it was kind of like here’s one big old tent that we’re all going to squeeze into.” Furthermore, time off from work as well as the lack of knowledge and training in the outdoors was another barrier Jasmine’s family faced. Jasmine creatively bypassed these issues by finding jobs that provide outdoor (medical) training to acquire her certifications rather than getting the certifications on her own. When describing her experience so far, Jasmine noted that she doesn’t often see many people of color in supervisor positions in the outdoor industry. She continued, “I’ve been applying to a lot of those [supervisor] positions, but a lot of them are not in my area.” Whereas, locations with more job openings are often more expensive to live in, and “you can’t afford to live in [said] places if you’re doing entry-level environmental jobs.” The unaffordability of entry-level jobs compounds economic and racial injustice by preventing talented people of color from advancing into better-paid leadership positions.

In an interview conducted with Jackie, a UC Davis employee who worked as a raft guide for Outdoor Adventures in the 90s and 2000s, she noted that socioeconomic standing plays a major role in determining the involvement of minority groups in the outdoors, whether as a participant or as staff, because, “let’s face it, equipment is expensive” and that is where the separation between those who can and can’t afford to become outdoor personnel starts. Jackie continues to point out that although the low trip cost and the gear rental offered at OA can offer some help in deconstructing those barriers of entry, “there is still a cost to becoming a guide; you gotta buy a life jacket, you gotta buy all this stuff and it is geared towards those privileged enough to afford it.” She also shared that when she first started, she was already working and had a career, allowing her to have the financial stability to enter the outdoor industry. For many young people of color looking to support themselves by working in the outdoors, money can be a serious barrier.

When there are financial barriers in place that make it difficult for people of color to enjoy these spaces, this creates a problem that spans generations. While Jackie says that the lack of diversity in the outdoors is, “mostly a matter of socioeconomics,” she acknowledges that racial representation, or the lack thereof, also plays a significant role in influencing young people of color to approach and be a part of the outdoor industry.  To better understand the issue of representation, we’ll continue the conversation with Jackie and Jasmine as well as the starter of Soul Ascension, Gabriel Patterson, in our next article.

As part of this diversity initiative, we are working on being able to offer scholarships, for trips and guide training, to students of diverse backgrounds. If you are interested in donating to our Diversity Scholarship Fund, please go to our website.

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All members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force are volunteers who are dedicated to bringing positive change to outdoor recreation by ensuring that all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status feel safe in outdoor spaces and on Outdoor Adventures' programs. The members who helped write this article are Thao Nguyen, Lizzie Campbell, Michelle Garcia, and Xander Guldman.

This is article the second of a four part series. New articles will be released throughout the school year.