DEI Resources

Guides

• Guide to: Anti-racism in the Outdoors: Resources related to inclusion, diversity, equity and access of black, indigenous, and people of color in parks and greenspaces.’ , Rakow & Brown: "In this tumultuous period, in which we’re each striving to increase our knowledge of and sensitivity to racial equity issues, we were motivated to research and compile this resource guide. We don’t intend for this to be a comprehensive listing of resources, and in fact welcome you to email us with suggested additions. We also recognize that we are not experts in this field, and as privileged white academics, we may display unintended biases. Please feel free to make us aware of instances of these, and we will do our best to correct them."

Websites & Databases

• Beyond Diversity: A Roadmap to Building an Inclusive Organization: “The increasingly diverse demographics of the United States and the rising share of educational and consequent financial capital possessed by people of color are beginning to force organizations across sectors to rethink models of success and how to ensure sustainability in the future. In the environmental sector, organizations are turning attention to diversifying management and leadership to better reflect the constituencies they serve. In order to do this effectively, mainstream environmental organizations must institute readiness, recruitment, and retention (3Rs) practices that integrate diversity, equity and inclusion into their mission and work.”

• Outdoor Afro: “Outdoor Afro has become the nation’s leading, cutting edge network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. We are a national not for profit organization with leadership networks around the country. With nearly 90 leaders in 30 states from around the country, we connect thousands of people to outdoor experiences, who are changing the face of conservation. So come out in nature with us, or be a partner to help us grow our work so that we can help lead the way for inclusion in outdoor recreation, nature, and conservation for all!” 

• Latino Outdoors: “We inspire, connect, and engage Latino communities in the outdoors and embrace cultura y familia as part of the outdoor narrative, ensuring our history, heritage, and leadership are valued and represented.”

• Diversify Outdoors: “Members of the Diversify Outdoors coalition work hard to address representation, access and cultural identity within outdoor industry and conservation. At heart, we’re storytellers, tapping into the American tradition of building community around stewardship and enjoyment of green spaces… Our goal is to disrupt traditional narratives of who is active in the outdoors in favor of more inclusive, richer snapshots of outdoor recreation in the US.”

• The North American Association for Environmental Education - Guidelines for Excellence: “The National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, initiated by NAAEE in 1994, has developed a series of guidelines that set the standards for high-quality environmental education. Each of these publications was developed by a diverse team of professionals, and each has gone through a substantive review by thousands of professionals prior to its publication.

• Green 2.0: “Green 2.0 is a 501(c)3 independent advocacy campaign to increase racial diversity among environmental organizations. Green 2.0 believes in a powerful, winning environmental movement grounded in equity and inclusion. Given that support for environmental causes is highest among people of color and the reality that they are most impacted by environmental problems, the movement should be accessible, welcoming, and open to them at the highest levels. In the 21st century, the success of environmental causes will be based on our ability to transform into more just, inclusive, and relevant organizations and movements.”

Podcasts

• Breaking Green Ceilings (Podcast): “A weekly interview series that amplifies the voices of environmentalists from historically underrepresented communities including Disabled, Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color and our Accomplices… Breaking Green Ceilings celebrates diversity of thought, which is critical to creating holistic solutions to our environmental challenges. In an effort to promote diversity of thought, you’ll be hearing from environmentalists we don’t often hear from or hear enough from.” // (See Episode 28: “How to Diversify Environmental Organizations”)

Books

• Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to Be an Antiracist”: Ibram X. Kendi's concept of antiracism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America--but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. Instead of working with the policies and system we have in place, Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it.

• “Stamped From the Beginning”: “In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.” 

• Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility”: “White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium. This book explicates the dynamics of White Fragility and how we might build our capacity in the on-going work towards racial justice.”  

• Layla F. Saad’s “Me and White Supremacy”: “Based on the original workbook, Me and White Supremacy leads readers through a journey of understanding their white privilege and participation in white supremacy, so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on Black, Indigenous and People of Color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too. The book goes beyond the original workbook by adding more historical and cultural contexts, sharing moving stories and anecdotes, and includes expanded definitions, examples, and further resources.”

• Ijeoma Oluo’s “So You Want to Talk About Race”: “In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to “model minorities” in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.” 

• Carolyn Finney’s “Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors”: “Why are African Americans so underrepresented when it comes to interest in nature, outdoor recreation, and environmentalism? In this thought-provoking study, Carolyn Finney looks beyond the discourse of the environmental justice movement to examine how the natural environment has been understood, commodified, and represented by both white and black Americans. Bridging the fields of environmental history, cultural studies, critical race studies, and geography, Finney argues that the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, and racial violence have shaped cultural understandings of the "great outdoors" and determined who should and can have access to natural spaces.”