Resources: Learning is happening all around us!
Check out the following resources to engage with important ideas, people and places.
Indigenous Land, Treaty and History Resources
Experts, Educators, Athletes, Enthusiasts and Orgs
Order Leah's First Book, The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet.
The who, what, when, where and how of the outdoors doesn’t seem to include stories of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) community. Brown Girl Outdoor World is working to change that. We create the adventures, to build the community, to be the representation that will change the narrative.
Selam Debs is a Black Ethiopian queer Anti-Racism Coach, Consultant & Trainer specializing in anti-Black racism, equity, inclusion and implicit bias awareness.
Community for BIPOC & allies interested in outdoors. Intro events, mentorships, content creation, consulting.
Multicultural Trail Network 🏔 MTN
Non-profit serving BIPOC youth with outdoor adventures!📍Based in Mohkinstsis/Calgary, Alberta
This is a space where the beauty of the outdoors and the people who enjoy it are supported and celebrated. If you’re inside, you’re missing out!
A diverse, anti-racist, body-liberating outdoor community featuring the underrepresented outdoorsperson. We’re an Instagram community, a nationwide hiking group and podcast. The outdoor industry and media has for too long displayed a very narrow definition of who is “outdoorsy” that isn’t representative of most of us. Unlikely Hikers is for adventurers who are plus-size & fat, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, queer, trans and non-binary, disabled, neurodivergent and beyond.
Gear and Tool Libraries
The purpose of the Library is to provide opportunities for individuals and groups to borrow equipment with as few barriers as possible. We operate on the principle that cost and systemic barriers should not prevent opportunities to try new activities and to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of recreation and connecting with nature in the outdoors.
Guelph Tool Library - Lending Is The New Spending
Tool libraries loan specialized tools for both experienced and inexperienced community members who are interested in repair, maintenance and building projects. We provides access to a collection of tools commonly used in community agriculture and do-it-yourself construction projects for an annual membership fee ($60.00).
Access a wide variety of tools for home renovations, gardening and lawn maintenance, repairs, DIY projects and more! Annual memberships start at $55/year. Start borrowing today!
How to Build a Community Gear Lending Library
“If folks in your community lack the gear to go hiking, camping, or exploring outside, consider starting a gear lending library. You can help increase outdoor access, improve physical and mental health, and build a stronger more diverse outdoor community for generations to come.”
Community Gearbox is an app to facilitate the sharing, mobilization & co-ownership of items –specifically– amongst people who know & trust each other.
KW Little Free Diverse Libraries
The goal of the Kitchener-Waterloo Little Free Diverse Libraries project is to amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous and other writers of colour and to help educate, inspire and encourage and promote anti-racism across the region.
Literature
Head to the library and pick up some of these reads about the histories that have resulted in barriers BIPOC communities experience when trying to access the outdoors and empower yourselves with knowledge!
Black Face, White Spaces by Carolyn Finney
This thought-provoking study 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.
There's Something in the Water by Ingrid R. G. Waldron
This author examines the legacy of environmental racism and its health impacts in Indigenous and Black communities in Canada, using Nova Scotia as a case study, and the grassroots resistance activities by Indigenous and Black communities against the pollution and poisoning of their communities.
As long As Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
Through the unique lens of "Indigenized environmental justice," this Indigenous researcher and activist explores the fraught history of treaty violations, struggles for food and water security, and protection of sacred sites, while highlighting the important leadership of Indigenous women in this centuries-long struggle.
The Home Place by J Drew Lanham
This is a remarkable meditation on nature and belonging, at once a deeply moving memoir and riveting exploration of the contradictions of black identity in the rural South—and in America today.
The Adventure Gap by James Edward Mills
Chronicles the first all-African-American summit attempt on Denali, the highest point in North America. Part adventure story, part history, and part argument for the importance of inspiring future generations to value nature.
The Rise of the American Conservation Movement by Dorceta E. Taylor
This social history book examines the emergence and rise of the U.S. conservation movement from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. She shows how race, class, and gender influenced every aspect of the movement, including the establishment of parks; campaigns to protect wild game, birds, and fish; forest conservation; outdoor recreation; and the movement's links to nineteenth-century ideologies.
Films
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You belong in nature!
BIPOCgearlibrary@gmail.com | 69 Huron Street, Guelph, ON
*by appointment only
