‘No where are you really from’ is a familiar question for Women of Color who are constantly asked to either prove our American-ness or explain our Other-ness when we really just want to sit-fly.
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“We are not asking for it and women shouldn’t be expected to smile and silently put up with this harassment so we can be part of the skydiving community.”
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Team Blackstar gave me the freedom to stop pretending I don't notice when I'm the only person of color at my drop-zone. Yes we see color. And we realize the lack of diversity isn't a neutral thing.
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Then there’s the one time I used duct tape, super glue, and butterfly sutures to close a friend's eyebrow that was split from the mid-line to the corner of his eye.
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Part of what makes shared culture in outdoor recreation so great is the shared vocabulary. However, having to learn an entirely new lexicon can be off putting or intimidating to newcomers. Get a head start with our deep dive into adventure sports lingo.
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Are you a Woman of Color who loves the Outdoors? Want to be featured in a video project that's all about your goals and accomplishments? Melanin Base Camp is teaming up with Brown Girls Climb on Project Diversify Outdoors to highlight the accomplishments of Women of Color in the Outdoors.
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All around me under a moonless sky human drama unfolded. Careers were saved or lost on the dark road. I kept running
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I started skydiving six years ago. I had recently returned from a combat deployment in Iraq and had fallen back into the sleepy routine of life in Kentucky. Beer, bourbon and BBQ and usually in that order. Life was good but I missed the thrill of being stuck on the side of the road in Iraq with one trailer ablaze and another with smoking brake lines--at night with the threat of IEDs and election violence weighing like lead in my stomach.
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