From the iconic trees of Joshua Tree National Park and dunes of White Sands National Park to the caverns of Mammoth Cave National Park and falls of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the United States has a magical variety of beautiful natural wonders and landscapes to explore.
But it’s an unfortunate reality that despite these locations all being open to the public, many people don’t feel comfortable or welcome exploring the National Parks. Surveys show that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color visit the National Parks at a lower rate than white people. Part of the reason for that is the years of marginalization and discrimination that many identity groups have faced in public spaces.
That’s where ‘Our Parks Too!’ comes in.
Our Parks Too! is a passion project and collaborative endeavor of Kristen Walker and Diamon Clark with the support of Sierra Club and Soul Trak Outdoors. Kristen and Diamon have the ambitious goal of visiting the 63 National Parks, and bringing you along on the adventure to show everyone that the parks are for all of us.
Pictured above: Kristen Walker and Diamon Clark | Photo courtesy of Kristen Walker and Diamon Clark
But before you follow along on their journey, spend a little time getting to know our fearless, fun duo. Kristen Walker is an environmental advocate and animal scientist – and the person who first had the idea for this project.
Meet Kristen Walker
Photo courtesy of Kristen Walker
Tell us about yourself! Who are Kristen and Diamon?
Kristen and Diamon are just two inner city girls who love going outside and want more people like us to enjoy it too! I'm grateful that Diamon is excited to take this journey with me and I want other Black people to see us, two Black women from the heart of the city feeling comfortable outdoors and reclaiming our place on wild American public lands.
What has it meant for you to be a Black woman navigating outdoors spaces?
I’ve been nervous at times to visit certain towns and outdoor spaces alone as a Black woman. I’ve sometimes been fearful for my safety and had concerns that due to my background I wouldn’t have the tools to navigate the outdoors or be welcomed to participate in certain types of activities like skiing, white water rafting, canyoneering, etc. But I’m thankful to have finally found a community who has strengthened my confidence in exploring these landscapes and will help me bridge the adventure gap!
What's your favorite outdoors memory?
When I was in the 4th grade I went to a sleepaway camp in Worton, Maryland, called Echo Hill. We had large-frame tents with sets of bunk beds and mosquito nets, there were showers, we would go to the cafeteria to have our meals, and had planned enrichment activities. It was kind of like glamping for kids but it was the most fun “sleeping outside” that I had ever had. As a city kid it was my first time away from home in that kind of environment, and to this day I still talk fondly about it with those I went to elementary school with.
How did you come to be involved with the 'Our Parks Too!' project?
I was a member of the 2022 SoulTrak Outdoors Environmental Leadership cohort. This provided the opportunity for me to visit several National Parks. My involvement with this group increased my admiration for the natural world and gave me a deeper understanding of how inaccessible those experiences are to many people. I found myself continuously wondering where all the other Black people were, then started researching statistics about the visitorship demographics of the National Park system. This sparked my idea for the project.
What does this project mean to you?
I’ve been wondering whether many people don’t visit the parks either because they feel unwelcome, or generally don’t feel that outdoor experiences are of interest or accessible to them. I really want Black people to know that they are welcome in these spaces, and it has become a passion project for me.
What are you hoping to accomplish with 'Our Parks Too!'?
I hope that with this initiative we can open the world of outdoor exploration to the general population. I want folks to understand that in many cases you don’t really need to spend a lot of money on special equipment, look a certain way, or have a specific type of background to enjoy nature. I want to spread the reality that our National Park system is not only open to white Americans or those with monetary privilege, but they are also available to the Black and BIPOC communities as well. They are in fact ‘Our Parks Too!’
What are we looking forward to seeing from the two of you in the months to come?
We plan to visit all 63 National Park units over the next 2 years, and use these experiences to create something like a Green Book for outdoor spaces – a tool that folks can use to guide them to friendly places to eat, sleep, and adventure while exploring the National Park system as a person of color. I hope to eventually parlay this project into a non-profit organization to help increase visitation, access, stewardship, and ownership of the beauty of our natural environment and foster that enthusiasm from youth to adulthood.
Meet Diamon Clark
Photo courtesy of Diamon Clark
Tell us about yourselves! Who are Kristen and Diamon?
I'm a passionate environmental educator, adventure traveler, and content creator! My love for adventure and travel was born from my passion for science and it has taken me around the world! It began with a once-in-a-lifetime experience of living in a tropical rainforest as a research student. When I wasn’t working on my own research, I’d spend my day following other scientists to far corners of the forest. On any given day, I’d find myself hunting for glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, snorkeling to capture freshwater shrimp, or going on night hikes to collect spider webs. As a Black girl from Baltimore City, I’d never experienced anything like it, and it deeply enriched my appreciation for and understanding of nature. It also planted a wild seed of adventure that’s become integral to my lifestyle.
What has it meant for you to be a Black woman navigating outdoors spaces?
Personally, nature is my space of liberation, a safe place for my child-like curiosity, and somewhere I feel being Black and woman doesn't define my existence on Earth. Professionally, however, I choose to center my Black and woman intersectionality as an advocate for diverse representation in outdoor recreation and science media for two reasons. The first reason is that I didn't know careers outside existed until I went to college. While I was fortunate to stumble across an environmental science degree program, I wish someone would have told me sooner. The second reason is because of the state of our planet. Conservation science and outdoor recreation has been overwhelmingly white and male for far too long. In order to course-correct our planet's climate trajectory, we need all hands on deck. I choose to show up via my online presence and as an educator to inspire others to get outside, reconnect with nature, and become environmental stewards.
Photo courtesy of Diamon Clark
What's your favorite outdoors memory?
I'm fortunate that I've had so many dope outdoor experiences like backpacking for weeks at a time, dog-sledding through snowy forests, and tagging wild birds for science. However, my most recent favorite memory is swimming with whale sharks for a community science project in Mexico. Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the world, and it was extremely intimidating jumping in beside them. Imagine a 25-foot shark and me, barely 5 feet tall. It challenged every part of me and my adventure spirit was humbled, but it was absolutely incredible, I survived, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
How did you come to be involved with the 'Our Parks Too!' project?
I came to be involved with "Our Parks, Too!" by invitation from Kristen! We met on a hike, she told me about the project and I immediately jumped to be involved. This project aligns perfectly with my personal and professional goals and I couldn't pass it up.
What does this project mean to you?
This project, to me, means an opportunity to continue exploring and sharing my love for nature.
What are you hoping to accomplish with 'Our Parks Too!'?
As a natural extension to my work as an environmental educator, I hope "Our Parks Too!" supports the homecoming of my community back to nature. There is so much to gain as a community and culture in reclaiming our place as stewards and integrated members of the natural world.
What are we looking forward to seeing from the two of you in the months to come?
Real stories! Engaging content! Tips on visiting National Parks! Black joy! Black girl magic! Healing in nature! And an invitation to get outside!