Faces of Environmental Appreciation

Environmental & Science Education
Edward Hessler

Image from Amazon.com

I just learned about Outdoor Afro--tagline, "where black people & nature meet."  It was the subject of a feature story on NPR. 

When Rue Mapp was an investment analyst, she asked someone she trusted for advice on whether she should pursue an MBA.  Her wise mentor turned the question back, asking "If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?" It turned out it wasn't an MBA.  Shereen Marisol Meraji writes "(Mapp) decided to combine everything she loved--from nature to community to technology--into an organization that would reconnect African Americans to the outdoors."

My, how often a career can turn on a question which forces an examination of "what do I really want to be when I grow up?"

There is a local connection to this story, too: Outdoor Afro Minneapolis.

And then there is Dudley Edmondson, nature photographer, wildlife enthusiast, videographer, writer and avid birder who lives in Duluth.  Mr. Edmondson is the author of a lovely book The Black & Brown Faces in America's Wild Places. The purpose of the book is to "create a set of 'Outdoor Role Models'" for people of color.

Mr. Edmondson's website notes that this book is used in the St. Paul Public Schools program known as AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) This is an in-school, college preparatory program for students, grade 4-12.

Happy trails!