The Racial Justice Weavings are an online gathering for outdoor education and recreation professionals to learn about and grapple with white supremacy, racism, and racial justice in the outdoors. These weekly gatherings are open to folks in the outdoor industry from any school, company, or organization, in any role. First-timers and old-timers are all welcome.
This space grew out of the Movement for Black Lives in 2020, when Steph and Ella began hosting a weekly conversation for their fellow backpacking and climbing instructors about racism at their organization. Their goal was to foster antiracist culture in their outdoor leadership school through collective learning and relationship-building. The “Weavings” were named to place this gathering within its context: a long history and future of racial justice advocacy in outdoor spaces and education.
Over the last five years this space has continued to grow, deepen, and evolve. This relational, culture-shifting work is slow but it is powerful. At a time of isolation, here was/is a community. At a time of national reckoning and unveiling, here was/is support. And now, at a time of backlash to antiracism and equity work, here is consistency.