This work will be lifelong

DEAR EDITOR:

Let me start off by saying I have not done a great job supporting black and brown communities. I have frequently given myself a pat on the back for being a good ally by naming some biases, caring about “the issue,” and buying my children movies, books, and toys with some modicum of skin tone diversity. I tell myself “Mission Accomplished” and am immediately lulled into a sense that I’ve done everything I can only to be walloped time and again by new realizations of biases, assumptions, and personal failings to contribute in a meaningful way.

Like many, the last couple weeks have led me to an enormous amount of quiet self-reflection and feverous reading and information-gathering to better understand the state of our country and my own place within it. While I have learned so much throughout this time, one particular assumption, that should have been obvious, has struck me deeply.

For years now, I have worked on the issue of clean water for all with the firm belief that everyone should have equal access to the enormous benefits our rivers provide. Sneaking just beneath the surface of that core belief was the false assumption that all individuals in our country can share the same outdoor experience if they are just given the tools and opportunity.

Recent events, particularly those concerning Ahmaud Arbery and Christian Cooper, clearly demonstrate the tragic naivete behind my assumption that everyone has equal access to nature and the outdoors. In his excellent essay, “Birding While Black,” J. Drew Lanham identifies this problem and highlights the impact this reality has on career choices among people of color. “I was in wildlife biology, a profession where work in remote places is often an expectation,” Lanham explains. “Any credibility I was trying to build would be shattered if I showed hesitation in venturing out beyond some negro-safe zone of comfort.” He goes on to explain that normalizing people of color in wild places is the first step toward rectifying this problem.

Environmental organizations have long recognized that there is a significant diversity problem in the field – staff and leadership demographics do not reflect the diversity of our country’s population. I am embarrassed that it has taken me this long to recognize that basic fear of harm is likely the leading culprit.

I do not have any easy fixes or wise guidance to offer. I intend to continue reading and learning from thought leaders on this dilemma. I intend to speak up when I see inequality. I intend to close my mouth and listen more. I intend to contact my lawmakers in support of the Hate Crimes law – HB 426. I will make mistakes, although I hope I will never again be guilty of believing my work is done. This work is lifelong.

To those reading this who are feeling like you too have work to do, please realize you are not alone. To any person of color reading this, I apologize for my silence, ignorance, and arrogance. I will be better.

I believe in clean water for all. I think I am just beginning to understand what that means.

Jesse Demonbreun-chapman Rome