Outdoor Retailer - March 2021 - 36

Field Notes: The Power of Love

Let Freedom Roam

We must live out the words Martin Luther King Jr. gave us in 1963.
By Chad Brown

36 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ March 2021

out pain. We as a nation have been through so
many conflicts-but fundamentally we have
not solved how we can live together as one by
loving one another. This is the simplest-yet,
at the same time-the most complicated human barrier with which we struggle-to love
together, live together, work together, and rise
together.
I've been through so much in my life and
have seen so much darkness. Recently, our nation even witnessed the ugly immoral human
behavior in the attack on our Capitol, but, yet
we still have not solved any problems. It is as if
we were at war. All we gain from fighting with
one another is loss, frustration, defeat, and
pain. But I still believe I will hear this freedom
bell ring one day. That freedom bell will ring
when we start to acknowledge all of our differences, give equality and respect to each individual, and love without a deposit of expectation, but with an investment of no return into
our communities. O.R.

LOVE IS KING
Chad Brown is making
a difference by making
the outdoors a place
free from fear.

Courtesy Chad Brown

IN HIS FAMOUS 1960'S " I HAVE A DREAM "
speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial in the midst of the 1960s' fight for
civil rights for all people, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. said: " And if America is to be a great
nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of
New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the
mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies
of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from
the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let
freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of
California. But not only that: Let freedom ring
from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom
ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill
of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let
freedom ring. "
These famous words inspired me to create
the motto " freedom to roam, " and the idea of
" freedom to roam " continues to stay with me.
It is something I struggle to find and look forward to experiencing one day. I still believe
in the dream King presented to this nation
back in 1963 in front of a crowd of 250,000
people in Washington, D.C. More than 50
years have passed since King's death, but the
needle hasn't moved much toward equality
for BIPOC communities in this nation. The
mission of King's speech still transcends itself
for us all to achieve the ultimate goal, which is
loving one another and accepting all differences. Carrying King's work is carrying the
light to let freedom roam for us all, where we
can move through life without fear and explore our natural wonders-from the urban
world into wild spaces of nature-without
the barriers built by systemic racism, hate,
and bigotry. We must let freedom roam!
" Let freedom roam " opens minds so any
voice can speak with confidence, love, and
hope, and without walls, without barriers,
without intimidation, without fear, and with-

-Chad Brown is the founder of Soul River
(soulriverinc.org), a nonprofit that brings
together at-risk youth and veterans who serve
as mentors. Soul River puts them out on " deployments " in the wild, where they discover
the powerful connections, self-awareness,
and sense of self-worth that come through adventure and contemplation in nature. Last
summer, he created the Love Is King initiative. " Love Is King began as a recognition,
response, and acknowledgement that equality and equity don't exist for people of color, " he
says. " Love Is King is committed to providing
equal opportunity to ensure equitable and safe
access to the outdoors for children, families,
and communities of people of color as a way to
improve the physical, mental, and spiritual
health of the most vulnerable among us. " To
achieve that, Brown is seeking Love Is King
Guardians, a movement of people of all ages,
shades, and creeds who love the outdoors and
want to take action to make the outdoors truly
accessible to all. White allies pledge to speak up
for people of color, listen, and change the dominant paradigm in the outdoors and beyond
that supports systemic racism. Anyone who
wants to become a Love Is King Guardian can
go to loveisking.org to join.

http://www.soulriverinc.org http://www.loveisking.org

Outdoor Retailer - March 2021

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