Open up your favourite outdoor magazines or analyze one of the latest ads you’ve noticed from an outdoor brand. What do you see? Maybe it’s a white family smiling while hiking up a mountain named after a settler missionary. Or maybe you’re finally observing people of colour in ads, but it hasn’t been until recently because of public calls to action. In any case, this lack of representation in terms of racialized participants certainly isn’t unusual in the industry.
When we think of outdoor advertisements, or even the racist names of some trails in Alberta, we begin to get a clearer picture of how outdoor culture has excluded or tokenized people of colour. And that’s on top of the fact that other barriers, such as socioeconomic status, often significantly affect minorities when they try to become involved in outdoor activities.
Colour the Trails is a social group focused on advocating for inclusive representation in outdoor spaces and works to bring people of colour and their allies together to explore nature. The group was founded in British Columbia in 2017 by Judith Kasiama. Since then, it has spread into Alberta, thanks to the enthusiasm and leadership of Zahra Abdullahi, who is the chapter leader here in our province.
“In 2020 we all had time to reflect on our lives and what we do, because of the pandemic and racial awakening,” Abdullahi says. “For me, I thought, ‘What do I enjoy doing? How can I uplift my people? And that’s how [Judith and I] connected about starting the Alberta chapter of Colour the Trails.’”
Since then, the Alberta group has been busy with events when it was safe to do so. In 2021 alone, the Alberta chapter has been cross-country skiing, ice climbing, rock climbing, camping, hiking and mountain biking.
Abdullahi recalls one of the camping trips where they did an ice walk as a bright moment in her experience as a chapter leader so far. “It was our first anniversary weekend and our first multi-day event. To have people trust the vision and community of Colour the Trails enough to spend the weekend with us was special,” she shared. “The conversation, laughs and joy were magical.”
Now, Abdullahi is looking forward to planning events for the fall and winter seasons. Bouldering, cross-country skiing and resort skiing and snowboarding are all on the list. Some of these activities can be expensive, which is often a barrier. Colour the Trails is therefore always looking for ways to work with businesses and allies to subsidize the price of events or to provide equipment or mentorship for newbies.
Abdullahi urges racialized people of all skill levels to come out and try an event. “Don’t feel intimidated — everyone is so open even if you’re new to an activity. People will support you, and coming to one of the events is a great way to make new friends who have similar interests.”
If you’re an ally looking to get involved, you can become a mentor, purchase an ally membership to support the group, or consider sponsorship if you own or work at a relevant business.
Right now, for Colour the Trails, there’s plenty of potential to drive change in representation and accessibility when it comes to the outdoors. “I’m excited to see this community grow and get more people out there cross-country skiing, snowboarding, skiing and enjoying all the winter activities Alberta has to offer,” says Abdullahi.
To learn more about Colour the Trails, visit www.colourthetrails.com
