Resources

Blindspot: The Hidden Bias of Good People

In this seminal work, the authors of the Implicit Association Test discuss the impetus for their research on implicit biases. The book is peppered with fascinating activities and stories. Because implicit bias is what fundamentally gets in the way of our doing good diversity, equity, and inclusion work, we recommend everybody read this book. For those who are more audiovisual, listen to the podcast we’ve posted with Mazarin Banaji. If you have some time to read, order the book online here.

Crimes against Nature: Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation

Crimes against Nature reveals the hidden history behind three of the nation’s first parklands: the Adirondacks, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. Focusing on conservation’s impact on local inhabitants, Karl Jacoby traces the effect of criminalizing such traditional practices as hunting, fishing, foraging, and timber cutting in the newly created parks. Jacoby reassesses the nature of these “crimes” and provides a rich portrait of rural people and their relationship with the natural world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book is available for purchase online here.

The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection

This book by Dorceta Taylor reveals the untold stories of the American conservation movement as they relate to race, indigeneity, gender, and other historically marginalized ideas and perspectives. Highly recommended for outdoor education and recreation folks. A must-read for anyone in the conservation or environmental sector (including advocacy, conservation, preservation, land, water, and wildlife management, and environmental education). The book is available for purchase online here.

Black Faces, White Spaces

This book explores the complex history and relationship of African Americans with the outdoors. A must read for folks in the camp, outdoor education, and outdoor recreation space. The book is available to order online here.

A Manufactured Wilderness: Summer Camps and the Shaping of American Youth, 1890–1960

This book by Abigail A. Van Slyck examines the unique history and legacy of summer camps in the U.S. For those who don’t want to read the entire book, in our work with camps and outdoor recreation, we found following chapters particularly enlightening:

• the Introduction
• Chapter 3 (titled “Housing the Healthy Camper: Tents, Cabins, and Attitudes towards Health.”
• Chapter 5 (titled “Good and Dirty? Girls, Boys, and Camp Cleanliness”)
• Chapter 6 (titled “Living Like Savages. Tipis, Council Rings, and Playing Indian”)

The book is available on Amazon here.

How environmental injustice connects to police violence

This article describes a recent paper by U.C. Davis that “that the Black Lives Matter movement addresses racism in the U.S. as an embodied experience of structural, environmental insecurity.” This is one many useful articles in connecting the dots between the environmental movement and Black Lives Matter.

The Case For ‘Latinx’ — And Why This Term Matters For Intersectionality

This Everyday Feminism article explores the growing use of the gender neutral and intersectional identifier “Latinx” instead of “Latino” or “Latina.” Read the article here.

An Untapped Natural Resource: Our National Public Lands and the “New America”

In this study of perceptions among voters of color (sponsored by New America Media and the Next100 Coalition) researches found that—contrary to some stereotypes and perceptions—voters of color care about public lands, participate in outdoor activities on public lands, and support increased access to public lands.

The Limitations of Teaching ‘Grit’ in the Classroom

This Atlantic essay examines the pervasive use of “grit” (and “resilience”) in the American education system, and why the use of these words is “irresponsible and unfair” because students who have been exposed to trauma (a) already possess grit and resilience; and (b) cannot change their mindsets without changing the situation around them. For outdoor education organizations that have “grit” and “resilience” as outcomes, read this for a new perspective. Read the article here.

Think before you appropriate: Things to know and questions to ask in order to avoid appropriating indigenous cultures.

For those looking for a toolkit or checklist on indigenous appropriation, this guide published by Creative Commons will be useful. This is particularly useful for camps and outdoor education organizations who have historically or contemporarily utilized indigenous culture, iconography, rituals, costumes, and other cultural resources.