CHOIR REHEARSAL

Charles Thomas Jr. • Nov 29, 2022

Many years ago, as a young man and I walked through a Redwood forest. He turned to me and said “I think I found a new church.” He has been in the OBA conservation choir ever since.

Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, Justice - for those of us who have been the “choir” and in the business of getting people of color connected to nature, wilderness, and natural landscapes for as long as OBA has (60 plus years!) - those terms are old, anachronistic lyrics like the everpresent undersong of holy praise in every song a choir sings. It's time for the Choir to come back to the Sanctuary and rehearse a new song.

That new song should not just express what we need, instead its lyrics should construct a way forward that avoids the “Color Pimping and Access Rhetoric” it seems nearly every environmental, conservation, outdoor adventure organization is promoting to show that they are in the choir. These organizations know that there has always been a dearth of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) in conservation and wilderness recreation. Some have been singing a sweet little song about it for years- but without including the voices from BIPOC communities, their song lacked the soul and commitment needed to affect change. It's a very old issue that directly reflects the racist history of America. Most of those organizations chose not to make inclusion a priority until now, when it is very “uncool'' to not have an alliance with BIPOC communities. But hey; I ain’t mad at you! Better late than never!!

We should not discount the great work of the multitude of organizations who closely examined themselves early on and changed their organizations to assure they would become more diverse and inclusive. However, we are still moving far too slow. We need a new song.

We must bring new folks into the choir and change the tune. Diversity, justice and equity will be natural outcomes if every voice is lifted in perfect harmony to sing an anthem of directives. From now on we will sing about how we will deliver field based, conservation education, career knowledge, and workforce development to those communities who historically have not had access to the “church.” Can I get an Amen?

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