The Weekly - June 9, 2020 - 28

Field Notes
J U S T I C E

F O R

G E O R G E

Garage
Grown Gear
co-owner
Lloyd Vogel

F L O Y D

Make a Plan

A Minneapolis-based outdoor retailer speaks
up about justice and what the outdoor industry
needs to do in order to create change beyond
lip service. By Lloyd Vogel

statements from outdoor companies big and small. While these
Instagram posts and newsletters
show a certain sense of solidarity,
they cannot be the start and end
of a conversation. They cannot just
be a proverbial checked box on a
social media calendar or a pat on
the back for doing the right thing.
If a statement of support isn't
substantiated with a concrete plan
on how they can use their platform
to effect change, then it's all fluff,
marketing, and lip service. A lack
of a plan means a lack of action, a
falling back on what feels comfortable. It means complacency,
and complacency means being
complicit in continued racism, discrimination, and social injustice.
When a community such as ours
actionably and intentionally demands change, those changes can
ripple into a much broader context.
Ask yourself, how are you going
to use your platform to create
more inclusive spaces for people of
color? How are you ensuring that
Black lives actually matter and are
not just repeating it? How are you
going to help amplify the voices
of-and create space for-people
who are underrepresented in the
outdoor community? What are
you going to do with your social
media, blog, newsletter, ambassador program, fundraising, and
website to highlight and promote
diversity in our community?
Don't just post about it, make a

THE WEEKLY / OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020

plan. Have conversations internally, and prioritize listening,
unlearning, and learning again
from people who are entrenched
in the work of social justice and
inclusion. Don't shirk away because the conversation is difficult
or the action steps take work. As
a predominantly white industry,
this is our work to do. Systemic
and global shifts happen when
individuals, communities, and
business sectors wake up, and we
in the outdoor industry need to
wake up fast.
HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS-AMID the
protests, riots, and looting-we at
Garage Grown Gear find ourselves furious and sickened by the
murder of George Floyd and the
pervasive racism that permeates
all aspects of our society. Simultaneously, we found ourselves
uncertain and fearful for our shop
and the company into which we've
poured every ounce of ourselves.
While we hold both of these truths
in our hearts, ultimately justice
and accountability for George
Floyd is clearly what matters

most. Destruction and rioting are
challenging to experience in our
communities, but normalizing and
rationalizing the death of Black
people simply can't be an option.
Over the coming weeks, as our
industry shifts back to highlighting
new gear and innovative products,
we cannot let the need for justice,
accountability, and radical change
fade. Here at Garage Grown Gear,
we know we have a lot to learn
and a lot of work to do to make
anti-racism a core tenet of us as individuals, as a small business, and
as a member of the outdoor community. I encourage you to partake
in the difficult task of listening,
learning, and taking action so we
can together create a new outdoor
industry centered on diversity,
equity, and inclusivity.
Let's get to work. Garage Grown
Gear is ready to make this commitment. We are eager to collaborate, reenvision, and make change
with you. Join us! Please reach out
to lloyd@garagegrowngear.com.
#justiceforgeorgefloyd #Black
LivesMatter

CO U R T E SY L LOY D VO G E L

ON MAY 25, GEORGE FLOYD WAS

murdered just blocks from our
office. For the past week, Minneapolis and St. Paul have
experienced anger, frustration,
grief, fear, and a multitude of
other emotions. While much of the
national discourse has highlighted
the ongoing riots and protests, it's
important to stress that the root
cause of everything happening
is the murder of George Floyd by
police. This is a man who didn't
deserve to die, a man who was
killed by four people sworn to
protect and serve our communities, a man whose death highlights
the pervasiveness of racism; police
brutally; and violence disproportionately and regularly shown
toward Black, Indigenous, and
People of Color (BIPOC).
Think this doesn't have anything
to do with the outdoors? When
something as simple as going for
a run (Ahmaud Arbery), going
bird-watching (Christian Cooper),
or simply leaving your house can
result in harassment, violence,
or potentially death, how can we
pretend that we all have the same
ease of access to outdoor spaces?
How can we pretend that discrimination, stereotypes, and prejudice
just vanish at the trailhead? Or
when hitchhiking into town for
supplies? Or when pulling up to a
campsite late at night?
Over the past several days,
we've seen an abundance of public

https://www.garagegrowngear.com/ https://www.garagegrowngear.com/

The Weekly - June 9, 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Weekly - June 9, 2020