Outdoor Afro

I am beyond thrilled to share this experience with you all: this upcoming January, I will be skinning the distance of Mount Everest (29,000 feet, approximately 24 laps) via Mount Bachelor to help raise money for Outdoor Afro . This national not-for-profit is working to change the face of conservation and leadership in the outdoors, leading the way for more inclusion in nature, and helping more people reconnect with nature through outdoor recreation.


As a Squaw Valley native, I had the privilege of growing up with access to a variety of outdoor activities, including competitive ski-racing, hiking, and trail running. These experiences have helped shape who I am today, and I believe everyone deserves equitable and affordable means to explore the outdoors. These continued opportunities to get out in nature are ones I will forever cherish, and I want to be able to use my experiences to help allow others to do just the same.

My goal is to raise $2,900 (that's just 10 cents per foot, folks!) with all the proceeds donated going to Outdoor Afro. I will be taking on Mount Bachelor Saturday, January 9 (weather permitting) & will have a tracker device on me). 

I will update the page and my Instagram feed closer to the date.

Thank you for all the support,
Zach

For my birthday this year, on August 10th, I am attempting to "Everest" in order to raise money and awareness for Outdoor Afro.

"Everesting" is a fiendishly simple, yet brutally hard climbing challenge on a bicycle. The goal: choose any hill and ride your bicycle up and down it in a single activity, until you've ascended the height of Mount Everest at 29,029 feet. I've chosen Old Foresthill Road in Auburn, CA, from the American River Confluence to the Foresthill Bridge. A single climb ascends 690 feet over 1.85 miles, meaning I'll have to complete 43 ascents and cover over 155 miles total.

Although it's a daunting task, I am incredibly encouraged to use it as an opportunity to raise money and awareness for Outdoor Afro. Outdoor Afro is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, CA that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership outdoors and in nature.  I believe that everyone has the right to experience everything the outdoors has to offer, whether it be bicycling, running, birding, hiking, camping, backpacking, or hundreds of other activities. Outdoor Afro is committed to providing these opportunities. Raising money through my "Everest" attempt will allow more of the Black Community to experience what I am incredibly fond of: being active outside. 

My goal is to raise $2,903 (or 10 cents for every foot I climb). If you are in a position to contribute, I would be incredibly appreciative of a monetary donation of any amount (even 10 cents!). If you are not in a financial position to donate, and would like to share my cause via word of mouth or social media, I would also be over-the-moon appreciative. Additionally, if you would like to support me on August 10th, you are more than welcome to cheer me on at the American River Confluence (or even ride some climbs with me!)

If you would like to learn more about Outdoor Afro, here is a link:
https://outdoorafro.com/

If you would like to learn more about "Everesting", here is a link:
https://everesting.cc/

Help me climb Mount Everest on my bicycle, and advocate for Black experiences outdoors!

On August 1st, my dad and I will be riding 105 miles (our first century!) to raise money for Outdoor Afro, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating inclusion and leadership for Black people in the outdoors. 


As white cyclists, we have never felt unsafe or unwelcome due to our race in nature or on our streets. For us, cycling is a way to connect with nature and with each other, to maintain our physical and mental health, and to feel a sense of freedom. We recognize that this is not the case for Black people occupying these same public spaces or partaking in these same activities. In February, Ahmaud Arbery was shot by two white men while on a run in his own neighborhood. While bird watching on Memorial Day, Christian Cooper had the cops called on him by a white woman in Central Park. His crime? Asking her to leash her dog in an area of the park where dogs were in fact required to be leashed. In both cases, simply existing in the public realm became a privilege not extended to Black people: more than just isolated cases, they are rooted in a long history of racism, segregation, and exclusion in the outdoors.


Access to the outdoors and nature, a healthy lifestyle and exercise, the freedom to exist without the fear of getting shot should not be a privilege dictated by one’s race. One bike ride certainly will not undo the centuries of systemic racism that dictate who feels safe in nature and our public spaces, and we recognize that access to the outdoors is only one facet of a much larger fight for racial equity, but as cyclists we hope to use our platform & privilege to build a more inclusive and just outdoor community. You can learn more about how Outdoor Afro is doing just that here. We will be matching the first $525 of donations ($5 a mile!), and any size donation is wonderful!


Check out TOGETHER Bay Area’s Anti Racism Reading List  to learn more about racism and the environment.

If you support diversity and inclusion in the outdoors, help me raise money for Outdoor Afro, a cutting edge network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature.

For every $20 donation, I will add five miles of hiking or biking for #milesforadvocacy, till I reach $2,000.  If we believe that the outdoors is for all, we should support those leading change and making a difference. 

Thank you for your support! Please feel free to add why donating to this organization is meaningful to you. 

More information about Outdoor Afro: https://outdoorafro.com/about/

#diversifyoutdoors
#representationmatters