As a kid, Chelsea Murphy felt she didn’t belong outside. Now the Leavenworth-based founder of She Colors Nature is making sure her daughters do.

The outdoors in America have a long history as an unwelcome place for Black men and women and children of all ages. Decades of violence and intimidation have made activities like hiking and camping, which have become rituals for many families, more complicated for many Black families.

This didn't stop the parents of Chelsea Murphy from taking her on camping trips when she was growing up in Tacoma. But Murphy still did not feel an affinity for the outdoors until much later in life, when she moved to the mountain town of Leavenworth after starting her own family.

There, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and evergreens, Murphy not only fell in love with the outdoors, but was inspired to spread that love to her daughters and other women and girls of color through her She Colors Nature community.

For this final episode of the first season of the Out & Back podcast, host Alison Mariella Désir travels to the mountain town, where she goes for a hike with Murphy and discusses the origins and aims of She Colors Nature and the future she envisions for her daughters.

Before listening, we suggest you watch the episode about Chelsea Murphy here.

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Credits

Host: Alison Mariella Désir

Producer: Brooklyn Jamerson-Flowers

Executive producer: Mark Baumgarten

Audio production: Bryce Adolphson, Sarah Hall

Audio support: Resti Bagcal, Seth Halleran, Sara Bernard

The founder of the Bronze Chapter has thrived in the outdoors all her life. She wants other people of color in the PNW to feel the same way.

Denice Rochelle doesn't just want to see more people like herself adventuring outdoors. She wants to see more people like herself leading those adventures.

When she created the Bronze Chapter, Rochelle wanted the nonprofit to create opportunities where people of color could come together and explore new spaces and new challenges. It did that and more.

For this episode of the Out & Back podcast, host Alison Mariella Désir talks with Rochelle about the solo adventure that gave rise to her organization and how it has grown to host clinics and certification courses that help people of color become leaders in the outdoors.

Rochelle shares her hope that through her efforts, more BIPOC will become stewards of the land who are deeply invested in addressing issues of environmental justice and climate change.

Before listening, we suggest you watch the episode about Denice Rochelle here.

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Credits

Host: Alison Mariella Désir

Producer: Brooklyn Jamerson-Flowers

Executive producer: Mark Baumgarten

Audio production: Bryce Adolphson, Sarah Hall

Audio support: Resti Bagcal, Seth Halleran, Sara Bernard

The angler known as The Black Stonefly was raised in the city. But now he's on a mission to get more Black people into the outdoors.

Fly fishing changed Giancarlo Lawrence’s life. He says it has healed him and inspired him to become more self-sufficient. And, he says, he believes it can do the same thing for Black people like him, who are currently underrepresented in the sport.

Growing up between the suburban and urban areas of the South Puget Sound region, Lawrence had little exposure to the outdoors growing up. Now his love of fly fishing has led him to more outdoor pursuits – such as mushroom foraging, gardening and hunting – and a role as an advocate for a life that is more connected to nature.

For this episode of the Out & Back podcast, host Alison Mariella Désir talks with Lawrence about his journey to the outdoors, his passion for cooking and his vision of liberation and self-sufficiency for Black people.

Then he gives Désir her first fly fishing lesson, leading the city-loving host to consider a different life.

Before listening, we suggest you watch the episode about Giancarlo Lawrence here.

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Credits

Host: Alison Mariella Désir

Producer: Brooklyn Jamerson-Flowers

Executive producer: Mark Baumgarten

Audio production: Bryce Adolphson, Sarah Hall

Audio support: Resti Bagcal, Seth Halleran, Sara Bernard