The Daily - June 11,2022 - 62

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F R O M T H E F L O O R
Do It for the Culture
Going beyond representation in outdoor media. By Dani Reyes-Acosta
OUTDOOR COMMUNITIES-AND
the media that reflect our values-
have rallied to increase diversity,
elevate equity, and honor inclusivity
since 2020's resurgence of
the social justice movement. If our
media is a reflection of outdoor
culture and its norms, have we
" arrived " yet? Simply put, there is
no such thing as arriving.
Thinking about cyclical and
sustainable justice for underserved
and historically marginalized
communities, I reconnected
with key players to continue a
conversation we began at the
5Point Film Festival in March.
Lots of work lies ahead, but the
advice shared here gives us a good
path forward. Remember, there is
no true summit to this work. We
have to keep pushing forward to
the next horizon.
MARDI FULLER
Justice in outdoor media cannot
be achieved until white-led organizations
relinquish some control.
Ownership, power, culture-making,
and distribution of resources (i.e.,
funding) need to be shared among
all people. For equity to be achieved,
marginalized groups must run
media outlets, from the board level
to the executive suite. Ideally, these
leaders would be aware of the ways
they may have been shaped by white
supremacist and heteropatriarcal
structures and norms as they advanced
in their careers, and would
divest of these ways of operating.
The resulting media would play
a role in creating a new inclusive
culture that centers marginalized
62
derserved athletes, that means we
often need extra support to gain
visibility and have an impact.
One big faux pas that I've seen
Mardi
Fuller
groups-our needs, our stories, our
voices-and thus opens access to
spaces and activities.
While we build this, existing
media can fund storytelling projects-including
the development,
marketing, and promotion-of
creatives from marginalized groups.
Fuller (@WhereLocsFlyFree) is
an outdoorswoman committed to
personal and corporate Black liberation
and believes deeply in nature's
healing power. She lives in Boston,
where she works as a nonprofit
communications director and volunteers
with the local Outdoor Afro
network. Her writing and accomplishments
have appeared in Outside
magazine, Melanin Basecamp,
the BBC, PBS, NPR, and more.
ALEX SHOWERMAN
Through the lens of justice in media,
we need to see the same-if not
more-support that has been
extended to the white cis straight
male athletes who traditionally
dominate adventure sports. Because
we're often playing catch-up as un/
OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2022
in the world: brands creating
unpaid ambassador programs.
In asking us to perform unpaid
labor, brands are perpetuating
systems of oppression that keep us
underpaid, underrepresented, and
underappreciated.
It's critical that brands see us as
whole people. We are more than
just one aspect of our identities.
For example, brands often want
to activate me as a trans athlete,
but I'm so much more. I've been
digging at the Red Bull Formation,
the world's big-mountain
freeride event. Specifically not a
competition, Formation is set up
to empower women of all experience
levels. This is about building
the movement together. I'm also
coaching at Gravity Girls and
Shred Society to get more girls
into social justice advocacy and
downhill mountain biking.
Bigger initiatives include providing
regional grassroots-level
freeride training for new participants,
as well as film projects and
creative storytelling. Look beyond
the singular lens through which
you might view us.
Showerman (@AlexShowerman)
is a freeride mountain biker and
queer trans woman. She blends an
artistic riding style, fearless resiliency,
and joyful attitude to break
down barriers for underrepresented
communities and inspire people to
live their most authentic lives.
CONNOR RYAN
I would like to encourage the
outdoor industry to remember
that Indigenous people are
not a minority or an underserved
community. We are
the rightful inhabitants of the
places romanticized and commodified
to create the outdoor
industry. Native Americans
are a multitude of sovereign
nations whose lands, languages,
and ways of life were stolen
and unsuccessfully eradicated
to create the United States
and subsequently the outdoor
industry. We are your hosts
on this continent, and you
are still our guests. The state
of ecological, economic, and
civil peril that we face in these
times is a direct result of our
removal as stewards of our
homelands. If you want to tell
our stories, collaborate with
us, or help our communities,
then you must empower us to
lead the way in the work we
do together.
I'd encourage people to
read Required Reading by the
NDN Collective, and hire a
Native person or a brand like
Natives Outdoors for consulting
or help with storytelling
opportunities.
Ryan (@SacredStoke) is a
proud Hunkpapa Lakota and
passionate skier. He actively
seeks to decolonize and
reconnect, and learn to better
honor all his relations through
adventures and activism.
PAULA CHAMPAGNE
The Daily - June 11,2022

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