RUE MAPP on Nature as the Great Equalizer /69
Photo by Josh Felise
“The trees don’t know what color I am. The birds don’t know what gender is. The flowers don’t know how much money I have in my bank account. I think we can rely on nature to be the equalizer for us so we can shed that weight. ”
Rue Mapp
Rue Mapp is pioneering a movement of equity and justice in the outdoor recreation and environmental movement. Outdoor Afro has become the nation’s leading network that celebrates and inspires African American connections and leadership in nature, letting people know that they are welcome in the outdoors to build community and find healing. Outdoor Afro is as much about representation as it is about paradigm shifts. Rue and her team are alchemizing the painful lineages of separation and trauma, to tell a story rooted in Black joy and seeking refuge in nature.
This episode is in collaboration with the Geography of Hope Conference, where Rue will be keynote speaker March 17-18, 2018, in Point Reyes, California.
♫ Music featured in this episode includes "Studying Metamorphosis" by Marian Mclaughlin, "Heartland" by Kendra Swanson and "Bean" by Harrison Foster
For The Wild is a slow media studio dedicated to land-based protection, co-liberation, and intersectional storytelling. We are rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth, and consumerism. As we dream towards a world of grounded justice and reciprocity, our work highlights impactful stories and deeply-felt meaning making as balms for these times.