Category: Currents

Definitions

Feminine beauty ideal: A socially constructed notion that a woman’s most important asset is her physical attractiveness, and something that needs to be maintained. The concept of a Western beauty standard is another related term — the ideal of a person being tall, thin, fair-skinned, and able-bodied. This standard is known to pose societal pressure and expectations on women and girls — as well as men and gender non-binary and genderqueer people — and can contribute to depression, anxiety and body image issues.

Gender-neutral: Can refer to language (including pronouns and salutations/titles) spaces (like bathrooms), or other aspects of society (like colors or occupations). Gender-neutral is not a term to describe people.
Sources: PFLAG; Gender and Society

Did You Know

“More than three-fifths (63%) of Americans say they are inspired by beauty brands that show diversity in advertising, with the majority of those who would like to see diversity in beauty/grooming advertising saying they feel this way because it ‘reflects real life’ (68%) and ‘shows that there are different ways to be beautiful’ (56%). What’s more, almost half (47%) of beauty consumers say they have looked for/bought from brands with diversity or inclusivity in the last year and a quarter (24%) have shopped with beauty brands that are minority owned.”

Source: Mintel

How to talk about gender

Be mindful of language. The language around gender is constantly evolving. Language is a powerful social tool: It gives people the power to name, clarify, and assert authority. It can also be essentializing, and language can flatten our complex, highly idiosyncratic ways of being in the world. Aim for a precise use of gender-based vocabularies. It is critical to continue to self-educate on the terms that people along the gender spectrum use to talk about themselves. In other words: Become gender literate. Terms can be a powerful place to begin a conversation about gender. Take words like “genderqueer” or “transition.” Read the definitions from a reliable source like genderspectrum.org. Have an initial conversation about what you think these terms mean; then read a definition together. Discuss what new understandings emerge for you.

In 2014, Annie Tritt created a photo, written, and audio series called “Transcending Self,” which focuses on documenting trans and non-binary people from ages 3 to 20 across the United States. In this video, Tritt explains the difference between children and adults in seeing gender binaries.

Originally published on ipondr.com January 27, 2021

Zola Chatman:

My full name is Zola Chatman, I am from Chicago, Illinois. I am a musician. I’m an artist, I am a writer and organizer as well. 

In one sentence, I would describe myself as a polarizing force of change, I find that I am, I, I bring out what I sometimes believe to be the best and the worst of like everyone, which is so interesting at times, just because I feel like I have such a polarizing identity within, you know, the scope of like, whiteness, and like, you know, the patriarchy and like heteronormativity and transphobia. And I sit in this place in terms of like my own identity that refutes and goes against all those things. So, you know, being black and then being trans and then being a woman, and then being queer that all of those things were few, you know, the the systems in place within America and beyond that, you know, set the standard for what is normality. And so I usually have a very polarizing effect on people, which is sometimes very, very shocking, in good ways. And sometimes not, but it is always kind of just, like, interesting to see how people interact with me and other black trans people as well. 

I’ve had like, literally at 12 years old, like people comment on everything from my, the way that I walked to my posture, to my voice to like, the way that I wear my hair to the way that I interact with other people, to the friends that I made. Just everything and it was all like, within the crux and within the situation of, you know, making assumptions about my my gender and sexuality as a child.

Being bullied in school was something that honestly shaped a lot of who I am today, just because I really didn’t have you know, the normal resources in terms of like friendships and relationships that most kids had growing up. And like, you know, kids are like mean, in general, sometimes, because they really don’t understand what it is, you know, hold empathy, or compassion, or any of those emotions that, you know, inform you of how to treat other people. And it was all just like, you know, I’m on the subject of like, my gender and sexuality. And it was, it was scary, it was extremely, extremely horrifying, not because I was afraid of the individuals who were, you know, hurling slurs at me or like chasing me after school or like beating me up because but I was, I was truly afraid of them being like, correct or right, in terms of what they were saying about me. 

People were definitely asking me they are making these assumptions and asking me these questions about my sexuality and gender way before I really knew what that was, I didn’t really perceive my own gender To be quite honest. I mean, like, there are many stories of like me, like dressing up as a member of Destiny’s Child, and like, you know, reciting the lyrics word for word, which, you know, many would be like, maybe that’s a sign, who knows, um, but I never really perceived my own gender or had, you know, to sit and analyze it. Because if you really think about why people are required to dissect and interrogate their own gender, it’s just a societal requirement to make it easier to categorize one’s identity. 

I was outed by my younger brother at 16. And he like, showed all these text messages from like, my long distance boyfriend in Kentucky, to my mother, and she was like, What is this? And I was like, wow, I guess we should have this conversation. Um, and soon after that, I literally, openly and viscerally started to explore and express, you know, my variants of gender and exploring what my transits look like, when I was a teenager, 

I really started to sit within my body and sit within my identity and like my woman, that as well, when I was able to express those identities within my clothing, and to be able to sit with those identities in my clothing and feel comfortable within my body. Using clothing and like fashion. 

I feel like trans people especially have to think about the way that their body shows up within space, be that you know, social spaces, the bus, the train, the classroom, their jobs, their jobs is a big one. So I’ve had to think and just ponder and focus on like, how I want my body to show up and what I think looks good on it, and how to feel more comfortable in it and to feel more expressive and to feel more at home in it. And clothing has been a huge, huge, huge implement in that the summer 2018. And when I was able to achieve that I was just able to walk without, you know. I don’t know my spirit is felt lighter, and I felt so relieved. I felt as many many many weights and many stressors and terror within my my psyche were extinguished a lot of anxieties. In terms of like how it was being perceived and like, held in space, as like a trans woman were also just alleviated. So I remember having the orange heels, which were like a little waves that I got from Akira. And I also had this matching like banjo top, and like leggings that were like in this, like, really, now I see I’m just like, that was interesting, but this interesting, like a reptile print that was like this orange color, and being able to, like wear that out to like the club or like, to a party, and so on and so forth made me feel very secure. Those are some of the outfits that I loved wearing when I was when I was 20 years old, you know, sitting within the comfort of my gender and identity, 

I think the industry is at a place where they see they see transness and they see variants within what individuals have a specific gender as opposed to where as a trend to follow and less like a moment or a chance to invoke diversity. And I feel like we really see that within the example of like hairstyles being on the cover of Vogue is like the first non man to wear a dress on a full page spread. That was ridiculous. There’s no way that hairstyle should have been attributed with that. That’s ridiculous. It’s absolutely ridiculous.There are so many fashion houses and brands and designers who will put their male mom male models and dresses and feel like they’re breaking ground, and some revolutionary context. And they’re really not. And it has been it’s become so, so trendy. So so so so so so, so trending, and I rarely see individuals really invoke change in terms of like, including, like trans individuals and like trans people’s experiences and their clothing within what they’re doing and the work that they’re doing, because it just doesn’t happen. And like oh my god, Harry Styles being on the cover of Vogue in a dress is the biggest example of that, because there is no reason that this, this white man should be able to glean and take credit for the the decades and centuries of oppression and hatred that has you know, been attributed to individuals who are assumed assumed male and participate within clothing in that way. It seems that inclusion and diversity and things of that nature within fashion have become trendy, and no one is really thinking about how to invoke real change and real you know, real meaning within what it is to include trans individuals, bodies and experiences within fashion. 

The first time I saw myself as beautiful would have to be around two years ago. And it wasn’t because of like, you know, the ways that participated with my transcends in terms of like medicalization or things of that nature. But because I felt like I was able to willfully and exuberantly and excitedly see myself without fear, and to be able to hold that person and to be able to care for that person and love that person without remorse or regret. I feel like so many black Trans and Queer people experienced such high, high proportions of fear in terms of like who they are and what they are and how they’re going to be perceived and show up within space. And that goes through, you know, black people across the board. But then when you hit the intersections of queerness, and our transness like something new, something new emerges and it becomes so mortifying, and it is hard, it is hard to not get petrified and stupefied by that fear. But I find that only when we are able to traverse that and walk through it, do we find true development and growth into the individuals that we love to be

Rebecca Rosman 

Zola Chatman is an artist, musician and community organizer living in Chicago. 

Chatman is also the co-founder of Molasses, a collective that works to support Chicago’s black, trans and gender-non conforming artists and organizers. 

You can find out more about their work at molasseschicago.com.

For iPondr, this is Rebecca Rosman.

Audio story edited by Annie Sinsabaugh

Originally published on ipondr.com January 27, 2021

Definitions

The Green Book: First published in 1936, and written by a Harlem-based postal carrier named Victor Hugo Green. It provided information on hotels, guest houses, service stations, drug stores, taverns, restaurants and other establishments known to be safe places for African American travelers.

National Park Service: Founded in 1916, NPS takes care of the U.S.’ national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, they oversee more than 318 million visitors a year to 423 parks. Prior to the formation of NPS, the Army was tasked with protecting national parks, which included the famed African American cavalry, the Buffalo Soldiers, who had previously fought in the Civil War and Indian Wars. They were some of the first caretakers of the parks and whose duties included fighting wildfires, curbing poaching of the park’s wildlife, ending illegal grazing of livestock on federal lands, and constructing roads, trails and other infrastructure.

Sources: History.com, NPS.gov

Did You Know

“Data from the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service suggest deep inequality in the ethnic/racial mix of visitors to our public lands. While the most recent US census shows that non-Hispanic whites make up approximately 63 percent of the US population, they comprise between 88 and 95 percent of all visitors to public lands. … African Americans comprise only 1 to 1.2 percent of all visitors and Hispanic/Latinos between 3.8 and 6.7 percent; both groups are underrepresented as visitors to public lands relative to their presence in the population at large.”

Source: Resources for the Future

How to talk about carving out inclusive spaces

Take a design-thinking approach. Design thinking is an approach to rethinking how we meet human needs. It is a deliberate process of observation and studying a people’s needs; then, designers prototype and test possible solutions to a shared problem. Community spaces like libraries, schools, and parks sometimes use design thinking to plan and enact changes so that more people can access and enjoy these spaces. 

As you read this week’s episode, think about the outdoor spaces in your locale. Like a good designer, observe what happens in the outdoors spaces in your city or town. How is the space welcoming? Who is invited into the space? Who is excluded? What needs to be changed so that more people feel included?

Clip from Samantha Isom’s show “Brown Passport”

Jennifer Sánchez: That’s Samantha Isom, a photographer, and filmmaker of 31 years. This is a clip from her online journal and travel show, which she’s coined as Brown Passport. This is from when she covered the National Association of Black Scuba Divers Annual Summit in 2019.

Samantha Isom: I felt like I have to do this kind of how you’re like, I’m thirsty, I gotta drink water. I’ll pass out or die. I felt like I had to do this hell or high water and go for broke or not. I did it, and created Brown Passport and one of the biggest things in it was busting the stereotype or changing the narrative that we don’t do these things. These stories need to be shared. I’ve been doing it for about four years now. And whether you see the story from a few years ago, or from today, it’s all relevant. 

Jennifer Sánchez: Samantha’s outdoor endeavors have taken her all over the world. But growing up, things were very different. 

Samantha Isom: That mindset of just “you’re outside in a neighborhood, playing with your friends.” You’re outside. You don’t stay in the house. You were outside all the time with people. But that doesn’t mean camping and that didn’t mean surfing, and it didn’t mean hiking. I promise you that. We didn’t grow up doing that. It didn’t happen until I was almost 30. I actually didn’t know anybody doing that where I grew up. At all. And that’s crazy because we were near the Pocono Mountains. I grew up near Philadelphia. 

Jennifer Sánchez: Although people of color have long been underrepresented in the outdoors industry and its advertising campaigns, platforms like Instagram have slowly become places where they feel seen. 

Samantha Isom: But things are different now. You know, with Instagram, it’s like people are seeing others doing it, no matter what demographic. Even if you didn’t grow up in an area or your family didn’t take you to these places or introduce you to that, you’re seeing it through other people. And that itself is a huge influence. And then on top of that, if you’re seeing that with people that may be of your demographic, then that’s a double down influence. So that’s great, but we have a long way to go before we won’t even need that anymore. And the day we don’t need that anymore is a blessing. Until that happens, I feel like we need to inspire, somehow, each other to continue to go out there.

Jennifer Sánchez: In her travels, Samantha has worked on fashion and advertising shoots. And she’s seen firsthand the ways that people of color aren’t given as many opportunities as their white counterparts. 

Samantha Isom: People wanna cast people that look like Chads. If you’re shooting an ad campaign, they go, “Let’s get a skateboarder.” Before Black Lives Matter protests, I promise you, they weren’t looking for a Black kid. They were not. Right, they were looking for Chad. And people are, like, sailing. What do you see? You see Chad and his beautiful blonde wife, right? And it’s like, first of all, not all Black people are broke. It doesn’t mean they can’t sail, you know? That’s not always the thing. But if there’s no representation — sometimes it just might mean, “Oh we don’t do that.” And you keep yourself from doing a sport because it’s not on your radar. Because they don’t see themselves in advertising, they don’t see themselves represented anywhere. And that’s a crime. 

Jennifer Sánchez: According to a 2021 report, 66% of new outdoor participants were Caucasian, meaning that less than 35% were people of color. But why? According to Samantha, the answer is deep-rooted and has to do with trauma passed down through generations. 

Samantha Isom: After Jim Crow, this is where a lot of those things are born from, right? You still may have memories of — or residual memories through your parents — of, you’re the only one, or the only Brown person and you’re kind of like, “Damn. I’m getting looked at like I’m some kind of Martian, first of all.” And B, now I feel like I’m on stage. If I fall. It’s like, I can’t do anything. I can’t mess up. I gotta be the best of the best while I’m out there. So at least if you have a large group of folks that are looking just like you, you feel like a little bit you’re coming in strong.

There used to be a book in the states called the Green Book. And it was a book circulated among black families. Maybe not all, but many. That would at least tell you, “Hey, I know that this hotel is safe. I know this restaurant is safe. I know that this public restroom is safe. And I know this gas station is safe. At least it was safe last time I checked.” For you to be able to take a road trip because before that taking a road trip was like going to a war zone potentially. You might not be able to do that. That was a very real scenario, no matter how much money you had or how well your family was to do. That transcends down for generations. This is not just something that sticks with the people that actually experienced that. But parents that experienced that, pass that experience to their children. And the children can be scared. Now they may be less scared or maybe their kids are just bold and they go out like, “I’m not like you.” That’s great, but that’s also breaking off. That’s not really the norm. It’s hard to do that. It’s just passed down and they don’t even don’t understand why you can have a hard time breaking that cycle. But then when you start seeing other people doing things and you go, “Oh, they’re safe. Well, I can do that too.” That’s cool. 

Jennifer Sánchez: As more conversations about diversity continue to happen in the outdoors space and beyond, Samantha hopes that people of color will remember to be responsible. 

Samantha Isom: We have an extra duty to try and represent and encourage other members of our demographic to come out and break free of these stereotypes and break free of these things.

Jennifer Sánchez: If nature really is a great equalizer because it is available for all, the numbers and faces should reflect that. For iPondr, I’m Jennifer Sánchez.

Originally published on ipondr.com May 17, 2021

When Debbie Njai was growing up in Edwardsville, Illinois, just outside of St. Louis, she was “definitely a tomboy” who loved to hang out in nature.

There was a small lake and a creek nearby in their private subdivision, and Njai and her siblings and friends used to bike, play capture the flag and “create our own trails in the woods.”

But as a Black grownup, while working in the corporate world, she lost track of that part of her personality — until she started playing golf.

That led to a first adult hike with a childhood friend and his wife — an exploration of Missouri’s Castlewood State Park — that reopened Njai’s eyes to the joys of being unplugged from technology and immersed in the splendors of the natural world.

“It was the best feeling ever,” she recalls.

Inspired to do more, in September 2019 she started Black People Who Hike after discovering that when seeking Black friends or family members to hike with, many people blew her off. They didn’t “get” hiking, didn’t see it as something Black people did, she said.

What could be more natural than for humans of any ethnicity or gender to enjoy the natural world and take advantage of the opportunities it offers for recreation and renewal: Hiking, camping, boating, fishing, climbing, or just plain walking, to name a few?

Unfortunately, we don’t live in an equitable nation or world. Many Black people, other people of color and other groups marginalized by our society, have long lived in urban areas far from state and national parks, effectively cut off from wilderness or anything akin to it.

And many haven’t felt safe, or welcome, in such environments.

Historically, the relationship between Black people and the outdoors has been rooted in slavery and other forms of forced labor, “not leisure,” explains jewel bush, chief of external affairs at GirlTrek, which encourages Black women and girls to walk, hike, explore nature and learn more about their own history.

America’s history of exclusion has promoted the notion that “enjoying the outdoors is only for certain people,” bush said. But a host of groups, including Black People Who Hike and GirlTrek, is working to challenge that racist notion — and reclaim the outdoors for everyone.

As recently as the 1950s and 1960s, many regional, state and national parks were off limits to Black Americans and other people of color. Jim Crow laws, social pressure and other institutional forms of prejudice built formidable walls around nature.

Even environmental heroes like John Muir, a conservationist largely credited with the development of Yosemite and Sequoia national parks, and President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid outdoorsman, saw nature as a preserve for America’s white majority, not a heritage open to all.  

And even when official rules changed, attitudes didn’t immediately follow.

“Systemic exclusion goes so far back, so many generations, that we almost have to start from scratch,” Njai said.

Due to inexperience and unfamiliarity, “there’s definitely a lack of knowledge,” she said. “Even I was very unfamiliar with (hiking basics): What do I wear, how do I find trails?”

But Njai kept at it, learning the ropes and sharing her knowledge with the broader community.

Ultimately, starting on Instagram and later Facebook, she attracted thousands of online contacts, and she now has more than 500 official members in Black People Who Hike. Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, the group organized several day hikes, some as short as three miles or so, one as long as 14 miles — “a bit strenuous” for a day trip, Njai admits.

Simply seeing photos of the group’s members online is good for the soul. “They capture the Black joy,” she said.

Njai’s group and GirlTrek are far from alone.

A variety of groups representing Black people, Latinos and other people of color, and LGBTQ community members have similar goals: Making parks and wilderness areas safe, welcoming and appealing to people of all backgrounds and orientations. Other organizations include Pride Outside, Every Kid Outdoors, Community Nature Connection, Brown People Camping, Camp Yoshi, Paddle Like A Girl, and Indigenous Women Hike.

At GirlTrek alone, more than one million Black women have been inspired to walk regularly — both for exercise and to connect with nature and with friends and community members — since the group was founded in 2010.

GirlTrek, which calls itself a public health nonprofit, “encourages women to use walking as a practical first step to inspire healthy living, families, and communities,” according to its mission statement. It also helps Black women mobilize to lead advocacy efforts, “protect and reclaim green spaces,” and participate in what it calls a civil rights-inspired health movement.

“Hiking is not only an opportunity to challenge yourself to do something new, but also to find peace in the sanctuary of nature,” bush said. “We want all of our women to know that they do, indeed, belong (in the natural world).”

Last year, despite the Covid pandemic, 50,000 new members a month pledged to walk the walk with GirlTrek.

But with this burst of new interest, what else can be done to make things better overall, so that Black people and others who have been marginalized by American society feel truly comfortable, welcome and safe in parks and other outdoor venues?

“To be honest, the biggest part is that (the country needs) to stop whitewashing its history,” Njai said.

It’s not enough to talk about the Lewis and Clark expedition, the early-1800s exploration of the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest, she suggests, without also referencing the long history of racism, exclusion and violence that kept many Americans locked out of their own natural heritage.

Our national and regional parks need to start incorporating other cultures, and show that they’re “not some exclusive space” for white Americans,” Njai said. “It’s about being intentional, about wanting people of all ethnicities and races enjoying the parks.”

Originally published on ipondr.com May 17, 2021

Definitions

Microaggression: A microaggression is a comment or action that negatively targets a marginalized group of people intentionally or by accident. It is a form of discrimination.

Unconscious bias: unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside of their own conscious awareness.

Affinity bias: affinity bias refers to our tendency to gravitate toward people similar to ourselves. If you’ve ever wondered why similar people tend to become friends, it’s because of the affinity bias. We like people who remind us of ourselves or someone we know and like.

(Sources: Diversity Sources, Medical News Today)

How to talk about race based microaggressions in the workplace

Be comfortable with discussing issues of race. Workplaces dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion means having employees who are committed and comfortable discussing race. Simply put, discussing microaggressions means workers who are open and honest about their own biases. It means being grounded in your own racial identity. It means considering how differences of worldviews will impact how employees operate and communicate with each other. What limitations do you have around discussing race? What attempts have you made in the past to address racial differences in the workplace? What worked? What failed? Truthfulness, honesty, and openness are key values in talking about microaggressions.