The last five months have been a period of extraordinary upheaval, and a good part of that has been the Black Lives Matters movement. In our home, we have been reading books and articles, listening to podcasts and the radio, and watching the news and documentaries. We have been uncovering how omnipresent racism is in our society, and it has been a real awakening for us. As a pair of educators in the public system, we are trying to absorb as much as we can, and consider how this impacts our work in the classroom.
One of the discoveries for me has been to learn that racism is directly linked to the environment, and to one’s opportunity to develop relationships with the natural world. This article by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson was my introduction to this topic, and it was an eye opener. I started to see the connection between race and the environment, and understood I had some real work to do.
You see, when schools first shut down on March 13th, my first thought was: “Our family will go to the forest”. I knew that for my mental health, I was going to get through the uncertainty and anxiety of this experience surrounded by trees and water. That’s where I feel most grounded, and am my best self. As a mom and a wife, I needed to go there for myself and for my family.
So, Covid hit, and out we went. Being in the outdoors became the backbone of our day. We explored every corner of our town, wandering forest, fields, and finding logs to cross the creek. We started naming our town: Peaceful Pond, Jelly Bean Lookout, The Crossing Log, Chickadee Trail, The Roller Coaster. I started mapping out our growing connection by night, sewing a felt map of how we were coming to know this land. This growing connection to something greater than us, experienced as a family, got us through the first few months of the Covid experience quite well.
What a privilege, and I had no idea. What a privilege to have access to nature. What a privilege I have, as a mom, to have a lifetime of experiences in the outdoors, that I can turn to to open the door for my kids so they, too, can start their own journey of connection. I know it’s a lifelong gift, and one they can pass along to future generations. What a privilege, and I had no idea. I never knew it was connected to race.
It has been a call to action to me to do something about it. I have started with reading, listening, watching. At the bottom of this post, I am sharing with you the key resources that I have been using to date. I have started with conversations at home, with friends, in our community. I have started looking for local Black-led organizations, and supporting one. It’s a start, and there is a whole lot more to learn and do. As I move forward, it is with an intention: in my home and in my work, I will continue to learn and to take action to be an antiracist, and to support the diversification of the outdoors.
As a songwriter, I have been exploring this learning as well. This spring and summer I have spent with my piano, leaning into the learning, considering how to move forward, setting an intention to listen and to work towards making the outdoors a safe, welcome, diversified space. It amounted to the song, “Howl at the Moon”.
I am looking forward to continuing the conversation, at home, in my community and in my work. Please find below the resources I have been using to help me learn. If you have more resources to share, please add them in the comments.
Resources:
Books: Anti-Racist Baby, How to be an Anti-Racist
Land Heart Song 
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