<p>My wife asked me that very question last week and it puzzled me. Just few mins. ago they had a very similar news segment on ABC. It said less than 1% of blacks visit National Park and there are only handful of black park rangers. Why is that?</p>
<p>I personally had not visited any National Park till 1995 and since then I am in love with them. Can’t wait till I am 62. I then can go to any park for a one time cost of $10.</p>
<p>Isn’t the percentage of Americans who visit national parks pretty low in general? I’ve heard if you go to a national park most people there are people on vacation from other countries.</p>
<p>I just spent the week at a beautiful national park in Michigan (Sleeping Bear Dunes). While sitting on an incredible sugar sand beach with one of the most amazing views (Platte Pointe Beach), I actually wondered this very same thing. I only saw a couple black families on the dunes, and I didn’t see any on the beach. When I returned, I told my coworkers where I had been. No one, black/white/Latino, had been there - and it’s less than four hours away. So maybe ThatPoshGirl is right!</p>
<p>I know a lot of people who don’t enjoy the outdoors.
You have to start them young like this
[Events</a> - Building Bridges to the Outdoors - Sierra Club](<a href=“http://www.sierraclub.org/youth/events.aspx]Events”>http://www.sierraclub.org/youth/events.aspx)</p>
<p>Could part of the reason be location? The majority of blacks live in the Southeast or in larger urban areas in the north (NY, Philly, Detroit, Chicago, etc.), but most of the national parks (at least the bigger, more well-known ones) are out West.</p>
<p>I had an interesting insight about this during a retreat to help people of all races heal from the legacy of slavery.</p>
<p>The retreat was in a rural area, and as a result of a writing exercise there, I realized that I have a fear of rural areas because of knowing how it has been dangerous – even in my lifetime for black people to go to rural areas in all parts of the country, not just the South. This was because of organizations like the KKK as well as towns that literally would have signs that told blacks to get out by sundown.</p>
<p>I think that these kind of fears literally sink into one’s genes and get passed on from generation to generation.</p>
<p>After having to do an Outward Bound experience as part of a fellowship, I decided to take my family camping. We cheerfully took off, found a camping spot and stayed less than an hour because the campground was filled with white people with confederate flags on their vehicles, and my family didn’t feel comfortable there.</p>
<p>My in-laws are among the rare black people who camp, and I attribute that to the fact that MIL is Canadian (Her ancestors were escaped slaves who moved to rural Ontario), and didn’t experience many of the fears about racism that black people in this country experienced. </p>
<p>My family does visit things like National Parks, but overall, I think that all of us would prefer visiting cities. I feel more comfortable in even cities with well deserved reps of being dangerous than I feel in most rural areas. I’m more likely to blend in and be overlooked in most cities.</p>
<p>I havent been to the east coast, but on the west coast I dont think I have ever seen a confederate flag.
People around here are more likely to have Straight but not Narrow bumperstickers or Whirled Peas.
;)</p>
<p>I see a surprising number of Confederate flag bumper stickers around here (eastern Washington).</p>
<p>I grew up in rural northern California and there’s a lot of that kind of stuff up there.</p>
<p>I’ve seen confederate flags in rural areas of the west. There also are clusters of white supremists in various areas of the West and Midwest for that matter.</p>
<p>Wow, NSM… That’s really terrible. Camping was always such a great experience when I was a kid. My mom was my Girl Scout leader, and her family camped all the time when she was a kid. Never saw any confederate flags at Girl Scout camps, thankfully.</p>
<p>I do see confederate flags at a lot of campsites down south. I try to put a few campsites between me and them, and I generally keep my distance, but while they turn my stomach, I don’t feel personally threatened… I can definitely see how if I were black, I’d pack my bags if someone started flying one of those things next door.</p>
<p>Sigh… that bites. It’s so pretty out there in the parks.</p>
<p>Perhaps the First Family has taken notice. I heard on the news that the Obamas have just finished visits to Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Park, two of the finest.</p>
<p>NSM, try camping at Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert in Maine. You won’t see the Confederate flag crowd there. And it is beautiful and has lots of great day hikes: bald summits overlooking the ocean.</p>
<p>Or go to Martha’s Vineyard. Oaksbluff has a vibrant African-American community, (Boston Globe has an article about it).</p>
<p>My Mom was co-leader of a Girl Scout troop in Lower Delaware in the '70’s. Her co-leader was black and about 1/2 of our troop was black. We had lots of fun camping!</p>
<p>I’ve got to say that was fairly unusual but we were in a small town that was very integrated. If you grow up in a small town, I’m guessing that you would be more comfortable in small towns. I’m not real comfortable in city’s, but I like to visit them once in a while.</p>
<p>I have to say that I agree entirely with Northstarmom’s assessment in post no.6, but of course that’s not likely to be an answer Simba is willing to accept.:rolleyes:</p>
<p>^ Nope…that is not true. I was genuinely curious. Are you willing to accept that?</p>
<p>But visiting National Parks does not mean you have to camp. I have never camped in my life. I do not even know what a camp site looks like. I like my bathroom within the 4 walls of my room and nice comfy bed.</p>
<p>Maybe national parks fall under Stuff White People Like.</p>
<p>and poet what is your excuse? You married a white correct?</p>
<p>The parks aren’t really on our radar. For the most part we are urban. The best you get is a City or a Metro Park.</p>
<p>I grew up with a summer cottage, with other Blacks in the area, but the adults were solid middle class professionals. Activities included camping, water-skiing, scuba-diving, off-road motor-cycling, fishing at dawn in the mist, and hiking. We also had a few from the south who went and found farmers that let them catch their own pigs (!) My crew knew we weren’t the norm.</p>
<p>To this day, My husband and I enjoy rural areas and the country-side. The kid hates it. My city bred nieces and nephews are the least bit interested. Heck, some have never been out of the city : (</p>
<p>Bottom line is people have to be exposed to things.</p>