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Category: Representation Matters

My Passion for the Outdoors as a Mexican American

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.

A latino man, José Gonzalez of Latino Outdoors, smiles at an older white man, actor Harrison Ford, as they speak. The older man warmly places his hand on José's arm. Behind them is an army of photographers and media.

The Moment: a creative colaboración

por Christian La Mont

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.

A latino man and a latina woman stand side by side and smile. they stand on a red carpet at a Hollywood movie premiere
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. 

A latino man, José Gonzalez of Latino Outdoors, smiles at an older white man, actor Harrison Ford, as they speak. The older man warmly places his hand on José's arm. Behind them is an army of photographers and media.
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. 

Three Latinos smile and pose side by side.
#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.

two Latinos pose in dark suits on a red carpet in front of a poster of actor Harrison Ford. They both look at the camera and smile.
José González and Christian La Mont

Taki-lovin’ Park Ranger Shares Her Story and Insight

For the first Yo Cuento Blog installment of 2020, immigrant and NPS Park Ranger, Cristina Martínez, generously shared some of her story with Christian La Mont, LO’s Social Media and Los Angeles Program Coordinator.

Christian La Mont: What is your name and where do you currently live?

Cristina Martínez: I am Cristina Martínez from Los Angeles, CA.

CLM: What was your first memory of the outdoors?

CM: Either looking for bugs in my abuela’s garden or going to a city park.

Abuela’s garden

CLM: Can you give us some background about your personal and professional relationship to the outdoors? 

CM: For a significant part of my life, I have considered urban parks my “great outdoors.” I grew up in a Mexico City neighborhood that had quite a number of urban parks and deportivos (parks with fields for different kinds of sports) within walking distance, so I spent a lot of time playing soccer with other kids. My family would also take frequent trips to el Bosque de Chapultepec, one of the largest urban parks in the Western Hemisphere.

“For a significant part of my life, I have considered urban parks my “great outdoors.”

Cristina Martínez

Not long after I turned 9 years old, my mom made the tough decision to leave the country and migrate to the “U.S.” in the search of “better opportunities.” This meant leaving behind my home, family members, friends, and also my connection to parks that had been an integral part of my childhood.

Once in this country, I wasn’t spending a lot of time in the outdoors for different reasons our community is too familiar with: (1) discriminatory policies that have placed more refineries than green spaces where we lived in Wilmington, CA; (2) no reliable transportation to go anywhere far, as we couldn’t afford a car for many years; (3) my mom was working multiple jobs as a housekeeper, making free time a luxury that wasn’t going to be spent going outdoors.

9th grade Cristina on her first overnight outing

It wasn’t until high school that I got to reconnect with the outdoors in a larger capacity when I became a member of my high school’s Environmental Club and got to partake in outings to places such as the so called San Bernardino and Santa Monica Mountains. Thanks to a special partnership with the Sierra Club, this organization sponsored our outings by providing transportation, gear, and guides so that we would have accessible and safe trips. I once again began to have an intimate relationship with the outdoors that continued to flourish and eventually influence my career interests.

Through classes offered by my college’s environmental science department, I was given the privilege to conduct ecology research in some incredible ecosystems.  My introduction to the US National Park System was through a marine ecology field course that took place in Virgin Islands National Park, the very first National Park I visited.

CLM: What is the Latino Heritage Internship Program, and how did you first hear about it? 

CM: The Latino Heritage Internship program (LHIP) is part of a larger initiative by Hispanic Access Foundation to increase the involvement and representation of Latinxs in “public” lands. The internship program does so by collaborating with the National Park Service and offering paid internships for underrepresented groups to work in various National Park Service units across the nation.

I heard about LHIP through social media, in what I would say was a stroke of luck. I happened to be scrolling down my feed on Facebook when I saw an older student at my undergrad institution share it on Facebook.

Cristina, during her Latino Conservation Week event as part of LHIP

CLM: Is that how you started your career with the National Park Service?

CM: Definitely. I would not have considered a career with the NPS if it wasn’t for LHIP.

“I would not have considered a career with the NPS if it wasn’t for LHIP”.

Cristina Martínez

CLM: Tell us about some of your impressions and experiences as a Latina in the National Park Service?

CM: Though I have been grateful to work in some truly gorgeous and dynamic places, it has come at the cost of being away from my community and dealing with constant microaggressions. Being a seasonal Park Ranger comes with a lot of challenges already, a big one being not having guaranteed employment year round, which is not sustainable and serves as an institutional barrier towards low-income individuals. Add to that the challenges that come with being a woman of color, and it can be discouraging to remain in this line of work. It is clear as day that the workforce of the National Park Service does not reflect the demographics of our country, which is why programs such as LHIP exist as a response to the lack of representation of individuals from various groups.

Along those lines, I’ve had many Latinx visitors come up to me and express how excited they are to see for the first time a Park Ranger that “looks like them.” These are interactions I have treasured, for not only do they validate the significance of having our communities represented, but serve as reminder to continue pushing the agency towards actions to create a truly inclusive workplace. I am extremely grateful for the many individuals that have and continue to put in the work towards transforming the “NPS culture” as a whole.

CLM: You’ve taken amazing photos of your time in the NPS, how important is storytelling to you as a Latina in the outdoors?

CM: Storytelling is transformative, validating, and a way of communication that I am still learning a lot about. When I read stories from other people who’ve had similar life experiences, it validates my feelings and has served as a huge part of healing for myself.  As an interpreter and storyteller, I have the platform to tell the stories that places hold to visitors, especially the stories that are difficult but important to share. I have the platform to figuratively and literally pass the mic to voices that continue to be erased so that they tell their story. And with this platform, I have also found it important to share my personal story with the outdoors to visitors. Not because I am seeking acceptance from them; but instead, to disrupt the “mainstream” outdoor narrative. I tell my story for those in the audience that have similar experiences as mine, for it may make them realize they are not alone in the way they have experienced the outdoors.

“And with this platform, I have also found it important to share my personal story with the outdoors to visitors. Not because I am seeking acceptance from them; but instead, to disrupt the “mainstream” outdoor narrative”.

Cristina Martínez

CLM: What are some of your favorite memories of nature: sights, sounds, smells, etc?

CM: I love the smell and sound of the ocean.

Kayaking!

CLM: How did it feel to go from a city like Los Angeles to a vast wilderness?

CM: It was quite the transition in many different ways. For instance, I went from L.A. traffic to a place that only has one road and no stoplights. Though not dealing with traffic was nice, it was isolating to be away from my family and ethnic community.  I mean, the one grocery store in town didn’t have Takis!

CLM: What advice would you give to a young Latinx person who might be interested in a career in the outdoors?

CM: There will be people like professors and academic “advisors” that will push the importance of internships, even if they’re unpaid because at least it’s “good experience.”  Although it may be tempting to go for the unpaid internship since the environmental field is flooded with them (though I am noticing more paid opportunities in the field), time and labor should be paid. While there is potential worth in doing an unpaid internship (I did one summer of 2015 while working simultaneously at another job), the priority should be well-being. It is so crucial to ask oneself if having little to no income will create a stressful situation and if this stress is worth the “experience” of said opportunity. It is also important to remind yourself of your worth and be surrounded by a community that will remind you of that when you can’t yourself. “Imposter syndrome” made me feel inadequate to apply for paid internships that I did come across, making me believe that I was only worthy of “unpaid” opportunities. In conclusion: Apply for paid opportunities if that’s what you need, because they will expose you to different ways one can have a career in the outdoors.

CLM: What advice would you give yourself from 10 years ago?

CM: Don’t be so critical and harsh on yourself; and that the boy your after isn’t gonna matter!

CLM: Any last thoughts or closing words? 

CM: I am so thankful for this community that challenges me to be better and continue learning (and unlearning) even if it makes me uncomfortable. That is why I consider storytelling transformative: because it is a powerful tool that changes perspectives. Thank you for having a platform where we can share those stories.