Minority Hikers?

[Mags]

>>Example - and Mags can attest to this - in some cultures (Italian just as >>one pertinent example) the family is more important than anything else - to l>>eave the family is to be voluntarily ostracized - and to hike for 6 months is >>definitely "leaving the family." And NOT acceptable.

Yep...the Magnanti clan (and esp. mom's side of the family which is isn't Magnanti..but the dynamics are the same) scratched their collective heads over someone voluntarily being homeless and in the woods for months on the end. When I moved to Colorado it was a bit of mini-scandal as 6 children and 16 grandchildren all lived within 10 minutes of each other. I am still considered a black sheep of sorts in the family. My family loves me dearly..just don't understand why I had to move so far away (Esp. five years ago when it first happened! On my mom's visit last year, she started crying and said "Sons should not do this to their mothers". So..it is still an adjustment for my family for me to be living 2000 miles away.)

Yep. The trail is NOT a diverse place. Hoepfully that will change. As of now it is pretty much the domain of middle - upper middle class, college educated, caucasians. Not a cross section of America to say the least.

As mentioned in another forum, hiking the trail was an eye opener for me. It really introduced me to ideas and concepts that were alien to me.
Interesting to meet people whose experience was much different than mine. People who grew up without knowing their grandparents as someone down the street, only working during the summer months, having cousins all over the US as opposed to literally down the street, etc. I can honestly say if I did not start backpacking probably would have followed a path that would leave me a much different person than I am today. As Jim mentioned, this path I did follow was not always a smooth one.

(There is a great book about this type of experience called LIMBO by Albert Lubrano. People like myself who have crossed over from a blue collar background to a "middle class" one. Thru-hiking was a definite part of the experience for me!)

Anyway, as Jim mentioned, diverstiy of all types needs to be encouraged for trail users. Not just for PC reasons so we can sing "Kum Buy Ya" around the campfire but so we can be sure that the wilderness we love continues to be supported. People who do not experience the outdoors are less likely to support it. As long as the outdoors is perceived as the domain of a very small group of people, the overall tax dollars and resources may not go to support what we love as much. People literally vote with their feet in this case!

Anyway, diversity on the trail is more than just about "race" (which is a cultural and not a biological term. 100 years ago, the powers that be debated in my ancestors were "White" for example). The trail, and the outdoors in general, need to be loved by more than our small non-too-diverse tribe.

How to reach out to more people? I honestly do not know.

As with many people I can define what the issue is...and as with many people coming up an answer will take harder work.


Mags (a family nick name of at least 80 years...)

[Skyline]

Hmmm - really?? I don't think you have that quite right. First because you seem to equate "liberal" with "Democrat" and "conservative" with "Republican" - not only in the present, but in the past as well. And that ain't true.

I am quite aware that the Dixiecrats of the '50s/'60s were as right wing as the Republicans of the '80s, '90s, and '00s. In fact some are the same people, or their offspring, who have simply switched parties. Some of my relatives from Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi were PROUD Democrats. They switched to the Republican party about the time McGovern ran against Nixon in '72. They found a home there, and their kids and grandkids are now almost all Republicans. Today, the liberal wing of the GOP is a relic, and in many jurisdictions even the moderate Republicans are drowned out by the drumbeat of the Limbaughs, Frists, Gingrichs, Delays, Drudges, Falwells, Hannitys, Helms', Santorums and their ilk.

The point is: U.S. conservatives--at least those neo-cons being increasingly referred to as the Taliban Wing of the Republican Party, and their brethren before them who were just as likely to be Democrats--have ALWAYS had a huge problem making room at the American table for anyone or any group of people that was not like them, not part of their view of what was normal and mainstream. They supported slavery, they didn't think women should be able to vote, they fought violently for over a century to make sure blacks were denied equal status, they waved their Bibles to "prove" that God's plan prohibited people of different races from marrying, and in today's culture war we have them on the wrong side of stem cell research, a whole list of issues involving gay men and lesbians, and given more power they will strive to make sure that none of us are able to see, hear, or read anything that Ozzie and Harriet wouldn't approve of.

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea......Race?...........Didn't wanna do this one, but I must say....this is a changing world we live in guys. It hain't like it was back in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Bob Dylan said, "The Times, They Are A Changin'", in the 60's.....rest assured they are. Living and writing and producing art work for a living in the Greater Washington DC area, has certainly opened my eyes to this aspect of life. Concerning the 'Race Card', either you is or you ain't my baby. But, if you is, get ready for the shock of your lives, 'cause the times they are a changing.

Diversity is the theme for 'New America', as we enter the 21st century. People from all over the world now make up core groups all over the country. You have Africans (east, west, south & north), Southwest Asias (Saudis, Afganis, Indians, Maylays), East Asians (Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Koreans, Island People), South Americans (Latinos, Central Americans, Andeans, Mestisos, Indians, others) and in general, people from all over the world, including European nations, living in America today. These groups of 'new Americans' are growing larger everyday. This is not the world that our forefathers (the old Europeans) took from the Native Americans. So all I can say is, you can go live 'on the side of the mountain', and pull up your 'racism boots', or join the rest of the nation and the world, and learn to live and respect diversity. Love it or Leave it, it's here to stay. KZ@

[Ramble~On]

Yeah and don't forget about us SCOTS.
I'm sooo Bloody happy so many people are wearing Kilts these days

[bethagibbs]

Saw the post on minority hikers. I'm one - not a thru hiker - yet. I've just done parts of the trail in New England. A friend and I were talking today about connecting with other minority hikers- African American in particular - anybody else out there?

[Lone Wolf]

Ain't too many folks on here that have dual citezenship. Do you travel to Africa often?

[weary]

Ain't too many folks on here that have dual citezenship. Do you travel to Africa often?

Lone Wolf. You're a jerk.

Weary

[Lone Wolf]

Explain why. If the lady wasn't born in Africa then she's an American. Name calling ain't a very mature thing to resort to, weary.

[Pencil Pusher]

Not to pick on LW, but I'm more in agreeance with Weary. LW, your feigning innocence on this topic is lame.

[oyvay]

Sorry there Weary and Pencil pusher, I have to side with LW. If your not from (or ever been to) Africa how can someone be African-American? The term "gook" is actually slang for "hanguk" (mark over the U). It's the Corean term for Corean. The second syllable is pronounced "gook," sure explains why the Vietnamese were pissed off! BTW I did not misspell "Corean" it's the proper spelling. The Japanese started spelling that way from about 1910, so "Japan" was listed first in the dictionary. How's that for racism? (ethnicism?)

[weary]

Sorry there Weary and Pencil pusher, I have to side with LW. If your not from (or ever been to) Africa how can someone be African-American? ....(ethnicism?)

My dictionary -- like most dictionaries -- defines African among other definitions as "a person of black African descent." It defines "American" among other definitions as a "native or citizen of the United States."

Therefore an African-American is a person of black African descent who is a citizen of the United States. It's really not complicated for those of us with a desire to understand.

Weary

[Lone Wolf]

I am a European-American. Soon to be a minority in this country. But the more I think about it we're ALL African-American in this country if you're a citizen. Anthropologists have pretty much proven all humans decended from Africa.

[steve hiker]

First they didn't want to be called ******s (Etymology: Spanish or Portuguese, from negro black, from Latin nigr-, *****). Then they didn't want to be called negros, they wanted to be colored. Then they didn't want to be colored, they wanted to be black. Now they're tired of being black, and they want to be called Africans. What next?!

[steve hiker]

I see the politically corrected Whiteblaze word filter has censored part of my post, and also censored Merriam-Webster's online dictionary.

This is ridiculous. I've always called them n!.gg.ers, just like almost everyone else I've known since I was a kid, and always will. These fad terms that go in and out of style every decade or so are a bunch of crap.

[MOWGLI]

This is ridiculous. I've always called them n!.gg.ers, just like almost everyone else I've known since I was a kid, and always will.

It's unfortunte that some people in the year 2004 still harbor the hatred and bitterness that is evident in some of these posts. I have edited my original knee-jerk post to avoid stooping to the levels of others. I do need to say that I think that referring to fellow human beings as "apes" and by using the N-Word shows a level of ignorance that I find astounding.

Last week I watched Mississippi Burning with my 14 y.o. daughter. Tonight I'll show her some of the posts here to let her know that the type of hatred shown in that true-to-life film still exists in parts of America today.

How sad.

Little Bear

[Mountain Dew]

MOWGLI16....It's good that you are taking an active part in teaching your daughter life lessons. Isn't it a shame that you can show her a film depicting whites being all out racist towards blacks, but couldn't find a film showing the opposite if you wanted to. I'm glad to see a dad sit down and talk to their kids about real life issues.
-----------------------------------------
Way too many people think racism is a one-way street.

[Lone Wolf]

MOWGLI, where did anyone refer to anybody being "apes"?

[MOWGLI]

MOWGLI, where did anyone refer to anybody being "apes"?

The below post was from this thread. Personally, I find this kind of thought repugnant.

"I hike to get away from blacks. Where I live, in the Deep South, blacks are over 50% of the population in many areas. It's like Planet of the Apes.

"...Hike your own hike and if the blacks decide they want to suddenly pick up and go out in the mountains with a bunch of white people, they can do so. In the meantime, I'll enjoy my breaks from Planet of the Apes."

[Lone Wolf]

Yeah that's pretty bad.

[Youngblood]

I for one would appreciate it if people would refrain from using derogator terms or comments on this web site. It is my believe that the hiking community should be above all that. Typically we see the best of people on the trail and that is one of the reasons that the trail experience is so special. Please practice self restraint so that any negativism that you may have doesn't degrade this unique web site experience for others.

We have enough tension on some hiking related subjects (blue blazing vs white blazing, dogs on the trail, guns on the trail, etc.) without this nonsense.

Thanks,
Youngblood