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Lecture: Black People Outside & the impact of community-based nature groups
October 25, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
This 1-hour discussion with nature enthusiasts Chevon Linear and Kameron Stanton will consist of:
• a brief history of BPO, and why they felt drawn to start the organization for their community.
• Some of the challenges BIPOC (particularly African American) communities face in exploring and accessing the great outdoors.
• Community Q&A
• Upcoming events and similar organizations located in the Chicagoland area.
Black People Outside Bio: At BPO, we understand the need for representation and comfort when trying new experiences. As city dwellers ourselves, we realized the lack of diversity in outdoor spaces and made it our mission to change that. With Black People Outside, we aim to make the great outdoors just as appealing as the city and break down barriers for urban communities to explore and discover nature.
Our journey began during the pandemic lockdown, when travel restrictions forced us to seek adventure closer to home. That’s when we took a chance and went camping in Grand Tetons National Park. The stunning landscape left us inspired, but also aware of the lack of diversity in the outdoors. And so, BPO was born from our desire to share this experience and encourage others to join us. We use social media to spread the word and build a community of outdoor enthusiasts, united by our love for adventure and diversity.
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Tickets: Free; donations are accepted. Space is limited; if you register and are no longer able to make it, please let us know so we can open up the ticket.
Accommodations: If you’d like to request accommodations, please contact access@garfieldpark.org. On the registration form, there is also a spot to indicate if you’d like to request an accommodation. Please submit requests at least 72 hours prior to the start of the program.
Registration closes Wednesday October 25th at 12pm Central Time
This program is made possible in part by Blue Cross Blue Shield, PNC Bank, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at Prince Charitable Trusts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, DCASE and CIBC.
