Happy Juneteenth! Let’s play “reclaim the narrative”

You probably know the story by now. Abraham Lincoln had announced the emancipation proclamation would go into effect January 1 1863 freeing all enslaved people. But for the enslaved West Africans in Texas they didn’t get word of this for two whole years. . .but on June 19th of 1865 freedom, was granted for all.

A part of emancipation is reclamation. So today let’s reclaim some of the narratives that diminished and downplayed the contributions of how the formerly enslaved West Africans and descendants shaped coffee and the outdoors.

Coffee history:

-By 1788 nearly half of the world’s coffee was coming from Haiti produced by the island’s 2 million enslaved West Africans.

-It is estimated that roughly a third of all West Africans brought to the Americas were brought to produce coffee.

-Coffee’s future potentially lies in West Africa where strains of coffee resistant to climate change have been “found”. (Found meaning I.e, non-Africans have discovered them)

Outdoor history:

-Charles Young, a man born into slavery who would become the first black National Park Superintendent in 1903

-Explorer and sailor George W. Gibbs, in 1940 became the first black man to step foot on Antarctica.

-Fur trapper James P. Beckwourth and Black frontier people like Nate Love and Stagecoach Mary and countless black cowboys helped shape the West.

-Black participation in the outdoors is one of the lowest of any group in America. Why? Here are clues.

-Gifford Pinchot, the first head of the US Forest service, was a known eugenicist believing outdoor spaces were for whites.

-In 1952 throughout the south there were 180 state parks available to whites only, while only 12 were designated for blacks only.

So today we say, The marathon continues.

Juneteenth, always and forever.

Children's Therapy Center goes the extra mile for our kiddos

Just for pretendsies, let’s imagine you’re on a game show. And you’re absolutely crushing it all the way to the lightning round where you need to answer questions in 5 seconds or less and one of the questions you were asked to explain the concept of diversity, equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it seeing more people of color represented? Is it seeing more body types represented? What about diverse gender-orientation representation? While those things are immensely important, like top-of-our-list important along with myriad other things, how often do we consider the physically and/or developmentally challenged youth amongst us?

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be the first to raise my hand that if I were on that pretend game show even a year ago, the aforementioned population probably wouldn’t have been the first thing I thought of when trying to answer the question. That’s a shitty reality to face personally but in the same light, it’s also no secret that our society needs to improve in not only how we approach our work around diversity, equity and inclusion as a whole, but also come to the reality that the topic is a daunting, deep one that no one person or organization can solve.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t try.

I was humbled when we got the opportunity to support Children’s Therapy Center (ctckids.org) which is a great organization doing beautiful and needed work here in the Puget Sound. Founded in 1979, Children’s Therapy Center was founded by three therapists devoted to serving children with special needs. I just have to add, the about CTC section of their website is probably the most accurate I’ve seen. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably read the about us section of a website and thought “oh, okay…suuuuuure.” But after spending some time on site at the Tacoma branch meeting the staff and learning about their programs and how they work day in and day out, I have to say this about us section is not fluff.

Anyhow, CTC hosted a move-a-thon which to an able-bodied individual might not seem like much. But this was a massive, literal step, that got these kids moving and got them outside. And it’s awesome when you give it some real thought. For those of us active in outdoor recreation we spend time hemming and hawing over what hike, what bike trail, what campground we are looking to spend time at. Not ever stopping to think that there are countless families and kids right in our neighborhoods that just being able to get out to the neighborhood park is a big step.

Getting kids into the outdoors isn’t only about summer camps and outdoor school. It’s not just mountaineers and scouts. Sometimes, it’s not about leaning how to canoe or pitch a tent, or about what you can or can’t eat out in the wilderness. Sometimes, it’s just a kid who wants to hop around the grass, pick wildflowers and breathe in some fresh air in a safe, supportive environment. One that the good people down at Children’s Therapy Center are providing every single day for families throughout the Puget Sound.

I wish there was a way we could do more. But coffee is a good start. And if you ever found yourself looking for a great coffee for a great cause to support - this is one. As with all of our coffee fundraising programs, 50% of the sales go directly to the organization.

Children's Therapy Center Roast

$15.99