[I’m trying something new. I recorded a voiceover for this newsletter. If you would like to listen, the option is above.]
Hello healer friends —
I hope your summer is going well and you are enjoying plenty of our American outdoors. We're all pretty fortunate to have access to outdoor spaces in the places we live. Many of us also have the opportunity to travel within this great land – like our family did last summer with a stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado.
This isn't the case for everyone in the USA. Economic and societal barriers exist for many people in our country, prohibiting them from enjoying the healthful benefits of outdoor time in unspoiled nature. I think about kids living in inner city neighborhoods or ethnic groups who don't feel safe or welcomed where they live — and they feel even less so when considering going to an outdoor setting that is unfamiliar.
I came upon America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston recently on PBS. I was drawn to it immediately because as a Black author and podcaster, Baratunde approaches the American outdoors from a different perspective. He's looking at not just the natural features of our American landscape, but also the relationship its diverse people have to that landscape — often from the viewpoint of those who are marginalized and oppressed.
The first episode I watched was “Los Angeles: It's a Vibe”. Baratunde moved to Los Angeles a few years ago. He appreciates the weather and access to the outdoors, but he longs for a sense of solace in the bustle of city life. The episode reveals the unexpected wonders of LA from the wild riparian habitat of the navigable Los Angeles River to a group of BIPOC surfers (Color the Water) owning their right to offshore waters to an Asian American founding a community garden learning space in a diverse south LA neighborhood. These interactions also bring up the inequities and injustices that BIPOC communities have suffered in this nation, but in an organic way — as individuals are given space to tell their stories while sharing with us the joys of their natural environments.
Another segment from the Los Angeles episode featured former inmates who are now transitioning into careers in wildfire fighting through the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, which was established by two former inmates. A young woman in the program reveals how she got into firefighting while in prison. (Yes, our nation's inmates fight for the safety of our communities on the front lines.) She shared how the gratitude she received in the communities she was serving was so motivating that it completely changed her perspective from feeling like a drain on society, an inmate with a criminal record, to being a positive contributor. Once she was released from prison, she was impassioned to transition into this program where she endeavors to complete her education and be part of a firefighting unit.
This is healing work, my friends. It's what I love about this series. The stories are all about healing — personally and societally. This is also what I'm doing with this newsletter: providing personal experiences and healing insights as well as sharing stories and resources about others who are doing the same.
I was so moved by the LA episode and so proud of Los Angeles and California and all that is contained here. Nature gives and gives, and more people are valuing that and inviting others in. This appeals to my Peacemaker personality and brings waves of grateful emotions over me (OK, I cried while watching and teared up while writing this).
I watched two other episodes: one about Idaho and one about Death Valley. (Incidentally and historically, Death Valley just received 1 1/2 inches of rain in a short period creating flash floods.)
Both episodes got me right in the heart. I was arrested by the beauty of nature, and more than that, by the beauty of the people engaging with nature in those places. And even more than that, I was impacted by the nobility of people inviting others to experience places they treasure.
An organization in Idaho who reaches out to refugee young people to expose them to nature was especially moving. The kids who've been impacted by the New Roots Program simply beamed with joy and confidence in the connection they've built with each other and the place that they call home.
In the Death Valley episode, I was touched by the Native American presence and the firm fight the Timbisha Shoshone tribe mounted when Death Valley’s National Park status threatened their ability to live on their ancestral lands. Elder and activist Pauline Esteves melted my heart. She is the loveliest elder sage with a humility and humor that makes me want to sit at her feet, listen and learn.
An African American ultra-marathon runner was also featured who trains in Death Valley and has run the 135-mile Badwater Ultra-marathon there numerous times. And I loved the unexpected surprise of greenness and aliveness as a woman shares the hidden treasure of a waterfall and stream in this seemingly inhospitable landscape. Oh! and a night photographer who captures the wonders of the unpolluted night sky above Death Valley was also included. And so much more.
Each episode is replete with individuals and groups who value and engage with the landscapes, seascapes and skyscapes of their communities. And what's more, they welcome others in, and they honor those spaces as alive and deserving of our respect and preservation.
Baratunde himself is inspiring and engaging. He has a big heart and an authentic curiosity about people, places and new experiences. Watching an episode, I am on an adventure with him experiencing his discomfort at stepping into new experiences with new people. But he is willing, and that's all that is asked of us.
There's so much we can feel upset about in our nation, but a program like America Outdoors proves that there is intentional goodness in abundance in our country. And it starts with sharing freely what we all own as our right — the air, the water, the lands and the opportunities of this great expanse we call America.
I encourage you to take a look. Since I watched, they have added episodes on Appalachia, North Carolina and Northern Minnesota where I was born and raised. I expect each episode will inspire and reassure us that many people are alive to the healing work of the Spirit in our nation.
For personal and societal healing,
Jen
I’m definitely going to check out this program. You continue to open my eyes to the world ❤️
Derek and I have a good friend who is a firefighter and used to work at a camp in Fall room training female inmates. Amazing programs. Thanks for including all the links!