Navigating white spaces

Most melinated advocates I’ve meet in the outdoor community are well practiced in navigating predominantly white spaces. A lot of us have at least one college degree, live or have lived in very white cities, are effective code-switchers, and are doing a lot of work to understand our cultural identities. We are also often very lonely in our navigations through these white spaces.

We’ve gained power and privilege by playing nice with the patriarchy, and some of us don’t know how to unpack that.

Maybe it’s too painful to acknowledge that we have assimilated to learn the system that actively rejects us? Maybe we’re ashamed of all the people we’ve pleased to gain the voice and power we now have? Maybe “resiliency” is too conflicting to discuss right now? Maybe we’re too humble to recognize how much strength our experiences have taken? Or did we just break a point where it doesn’t matter because nobody should have to endure what we have endured anyway?

At what point do we tell the patriarchy to fuck off and just let us live the life we want, as best we can? When do we start feeling like we were enough? How many of us are still clawing for community and a sense of belonging?

How many are looking for space to heal?

Mount Shuksan. Summer 2020.