Teresa Baker has long considered herself an environmental steward. On a 2012 trip to Yosemite National Park, Teresa noticed something stark: she was the only person of color. And she wanted to change that fact. Teresa started by creating the African American National Parks Event, an annual event with thousands of participants that encourages communities of color to enjoy our National Parks, local parks and open spaces. Teresa continued to organize events with a focus on diversity. In 2018, she created the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge, urging outdoor companies to create and enforce policies that expand the diversity, equity, and inclusion of their employees, board members, and customers. Teresa contends that accurately representing the outdoor community and broadening the industry will create more environmental stewards. How do we get there? The outdoors needs a rebrand.
Kareemah Batts is many things. A woman. A climber. An African American. A cancer survivor. An amputee. A self-described “broke girl from Flatbush.” She’s not just one thing. After being overlooked for conversations about diversity in the outdoor world, Kareemah took it upon herself to jumpstart a new conversation — she wants to expand the outdoor community’s definition of diversity and to rethink how we approach inclusivity. Because, as it turns out, diversity is a pretty damn diverse subject.
