We are deeply disturbed and saddened by the recent, atrocious crimes against members of the Black community who are either recreating outdoors or simply going about their daily lives. The harassment of the Central Park birdwatcher has shaken Latino Outdoors to our core, but especially LO NYC, who has led birding walks through the Ramble in the past.
Nobody should have the police weaponized against them due to their race. We stand in solidarity with all Communities of Color who have experienced injustices in shared spaces, and especially with the Black community who is hurting most in this moment. Black, Indigenous, and other Communities of Color must not have our existence questioned in the outdoors, and Latino Outdoors will continue working to create inclusive and equitable outdoor spaces for all in New York City and around the country.
When the news cycle moves on, we do not want this message to be read and forgotten. We call on all mainstream organizations that seek to be better allies in the fight against racism and other forms of marginalization to take a stand in solidarity with all Communities of Color and other underrepresented groups.
This time on #YoCuento2020, Maritza Oropeza, an outdoor enthusiast whose go-getter approach to life is a gift from her mother, shares with us her story of discovering a love for the natural world as a young adult.
por Maritza Oropeza
In typical Latino culture, daughters are taught how to clean and cook to keep their men happy. Not me, I was raised by a single mom who worked two jobs and cleaned houses on the weekends. I was shown the miracles of what Fabuloso could do in a bathroom and how Vicks VapoRub could cure anything. I was taught to be a strong, independent, classy, go-getter that don’t need a man but when they get one, he’ll appreciate everything she has to offer.
I grew up in the small town of Grover Beach on the central coast in California. I was educated in predominantly white schools with most of my friends being gringas. Sleepovers were almost like a rite of passage for my sisters and me. They weren’t allowed. My Mexican mom could never understand why I’d want to sleep at someone else’s house. Especially, when I had a home to sleep in.
Many future outdoor adventures await the author.
We grew up poor but never without. My mom always reminded us that we had to work twice as hard because we were Mexican American. “We gotta prove to the Mexicans how Mexican we are and we gotta prove to the Americans how American we are.” As a teenager, trying to understand that was exhausting.
When I grew older and moved away to college, friends introduced me to the outdoors. I went on my first hike when I was 23 years old in Eugene, Oregon. It was beautiful and something I remember only seeing in posters or movies. Growing up, I was completely unaware of hiking, climbing and camping. Those outlets weren’t available for my sisters and me. Vacations were nonexistent, as my mother had no leisure time.
“Growing up, I was completely unaware of hiking, climbing and camping. Those outlets weren’t available for my sisters and me. Vacations were nonexistent, as my mother had no leisure time”.
Maritza Oropeza
After moving back home from college, I saw my younger self in Latino kids. I thought about how when I was their age, not long ago, it would have never have crossed my mind that you could just find a trail in the woods or along the coast and explore the natural world. It was never for lack of imagination or desire for new experiences. Those things are innate in every child. What was missing was someone to nurture and encourage them. Someone who was willing to pass along the joy that had been shared with them before.
When I turned 26, I got the opportunity to go to Yosemite with a group of friends from California whom I had met through an outdoor meetup. Everything about preparing for the trip felt foreign to me. I had to buy hiking boots, backpack, tent, socks. Anything and everything you could think of, I didn’t have.
A proud moment
My first summit was Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. It is one of my proudest moments. A seventeen-mile hike that brought us over 4,800ft in elevation. It was the most challenging thing I had done. Once I reached the summit, I was able to take in those Yosemite Valley views. It was truly magical. I rested and sat on top of the granite dome, taking in all its beauty. It was breathtaking, and I didn’t want that moment to end.
“My first summit was Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. It is one of my proudest moments”.
Maritza Oropeza
When I got back home from Yosemite, the first thing I did was look up the next hike I wanted to do and what groups I could become a part of. As I participated more in outdoor culture, I could see the barriers and how they exclude communities of color. Limiting outdoors culture to a “white people thing” seemed more apparent than ever and I vowed to change that.
For the next few years, I spent my vacations from work backpacking at National Parks every year. I am at 22 parks and counting.
“As I participated more in outdoor culture, I could see the barriers and how they exclude communities of color”.
Maritza Oropeza
The author’s passion for the outdoors comes across through her different adventures.
Now living in Portland, Oregon as an adult and having the knowledge I do about how excluded you can feel as a minority in a predominantly white town, makes me want to share my knowledge with all the Latino youths out there. As I embrace my identity as a Latina who loves nature, I still often feel culturally separate from the outdoor community. My goal is to give people of color and all youths access to the outdoors. Being poor should not be a barrier to the beauty of the outdoors. I want to empower young Latinos to believe that anything is possible even if our skin color is different.
LA Collab is “an unprecedented effort to connect Latinx talent, executives, and creators to opportunities in the entertainment industry — and double Latino representation in Hollywood by 2030” (lamayor.org). Recently, the Co-Founder of LA Collab reached out to Latino Outdoors about the idea of collaborating and somehow creating a moment or meeting of sorts. LA Collab Co-Founder, Ivette Rodriguez is also president of AEM, a marketing and communications firm with social good at the core of its mission. AEM’s portfolio includes marketing work on films such as Roma, Amores Perros, Frida, The Motorcycle Diaries, and other recognizable titles.
José González and Ivette Rodriguez at the Call of the Wild Premiere.
It was Ivette who had conceived of a red-carpet reunion between actor and conservationist, Harrison Ford, and LO Founder and conservationist, José González.
Through her involvement with The Call of the Wild, Ivette connected the dots and, as she explained to me during a call, was passionate about having Latinx representation front and center at any opportunity. Even if that opportunity was on the red carpet where cameras were clicking away, onlookers were cheering, and news outlets asked questions of the people walking by. Knowing that both Harrison and José shared a passion for the environment and being aware of a 2016 meeting between them in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Ivette wanted to foster a moment for them to meet again, this time in Los Angeles during the film’s world premiere. I accompanied José as his plus 1, ready with my phone camera and some experience navigating the busy red carpet scene. We arrived and fans were already lined up, craning their necks for a glance of a celebrity or two. José and I met up with Ivette as she and her colleague guided us through check in. Spectrum News and a few other outlets with Latinx reporters asked José some questions as we waited for the “moment” when Ford and González would reunite. There was an obvious ripple of excitement when he arrived. We followed Ivette to meet the Vice Chair of the Board of Conservation International, also known as Han Solo or Indiana Jones. A simple shoulder tap and Harrison turned around, saw José and embraced him warmly. In a world of shutter clicks and 24hr news cycles, they seemed to speak for a while. Two conservationists in a world of glitz and glamor, appreciating each other’s presence and body of work outdoors. They posed for some photos and spoke some more before Harrison was whisked away.
José and Han Solo: two conservationists reunite.
The “moment” had happened, for all of us involved. José and Harrison, thanks to Ivette’s big thinking, had rekindled their mutual admiration and appreciation. The Latino Outdoors Founder was on the same stage, or carpet, as one of the biggest box office draws of the past 40 years and more importantly, a Latino was taking up space in a place that is still often dominated by white men (see: #OscarsSoWhite). In Hollywood, lack of representation is a big issue. Everyone’s talking about it. To have Latinx representation, even on the red carpet, is a big statement. It shouldn’t be. It should be the normal, but we’re not yet there. So by creating that moment, Ivette did what she does best, and she ensured some positive representation on a Hollywood level. José wasn’t playing a gangster, or an addict, or a criminal as many Latinos are portrayed on screen. José was playing himself: a passionate storyteller, conservationist, and advocate.
We watched the movie, still in awe of the rushing river of red carpet protocol we had just navigated, and attended an after-event where we wound up speaking to a table of Latinos (Mexican, Salvadoran, Californian) who asked all about Latino Outdoors and who shared stories about the first time they heard their own “call of the wild”, so to speak (one grew up in Nairobi, another went camping with family in Joshua Tree). When José and I left, there was a crowd of onlookers, again hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two. There were two young men, Latinos, who stopped José and told him they were working the red carpet, helping with set up. They saw him being interviewed and overheard him speaking and wanted to meet him. Then they asked for a photo. I was happy to take the picture of the three of them, José and his new fans, because it showed me, as clear as a 35mm print on the big screen, that representation absolutely matters.
#RepresentationMatters
Ivette and I are expecting to have more calls to see where Latino Outdoors and LA Collab can cross paths. The lack of representation in film and television reaches all parts of the world, and the solution can be found through collaboration, community, and creativity. It mirrors the lack of representation we are up against in the mainstream outdoor recreation and conservation movements. Changing the narrative will take unique collaborations and creative approaches. It will take all of us working together. Our voices are stronger together, always.
#YoCuento2020 #EstamosAquí #JuntosMejor
Christian La Mont volunteers with Latino Outdoors as Social Media Coordinator.
