In this episode, I interview Gerry James, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All Campaign. Gerry describes his upbringing as a military brat that fostered a love of the outdoors and environmental protection, and discusses challenges he has faced as a Black man recreating outdoors. He outlines efforts to close the nature equity gap through youth programs, transit access to nature, and partnerships that train students as Sierra Club outings leaders, connecting outings to advocacy. Much of the conversation focuses on the Trump administration’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity” executive order and resulting attempts to remove or sanitize historical and climate-related interpretation on public lands, such as Philadelphia’s President’s House slavery exhibit and its restoration after a city lawsuit. Gerry details Sierra Club organizing, public records requests, coalition-building with historians, and planned actions to protect inclusive public history.
LANDSCAPES OF EXCLUSION: State Parks and Jim Crow in the American South
02:31 Military Brat Roots
04:10 Learning Black History
05:13 Racism Outdoors
07:51 Outdoor Equity Renaissance
09:06 HBCUs Outside Partnership
11:19 Outings To Advocacy
14:38 Skiing And Youth Trips
16:51 Outdoors For All Campaign
18:51 Fighting History Whitewashing
21:50 Organizing And Records Requests
24:31 Philly Rally And Win
31:02 Resistance Rangers Network
32:04 Whitewashing Civil Rights
33:52 Tribal History Under Fire
34:46 Lawsuit And Truth Debate
36:59 Interpreting History
39:09 Climate Science Attacks
41:25 Sustainability And Comments
43:27 Coalitions And Day Of Action
47:20 Save Our Signs And Juneteenth
52:44 Black State Parks Legacy
