Nature Swagger: Stories and Visions of Black Joy in the Outdoors | Rue Mapp

Originally broadcast at 10:45 a.m. ET Wednesday, August 9, 2023.

Candidly documenting her personal experiences while pioneering and shifting a new visual representation of Black people in the outdoors, Rue Mapp transformed her kitchen table blog into a national nature-inspired enterprise and movement. Now, Mapp is the founder and CEO of where Black people and nature meet: Outdoor Afro. For more than a decade, the not-for-profit organization has continued to celebrate and inspire Black connections and leadership in nature across the United States. Mapp’s work in nature and outdoor-related fields started in her hometown of Oakland, California and has since grown to inspire international headlines.

Mapp will make her Amphitheater debut for the Chautauqua Lecture Series with a discussion about the imperative of elevating a new narrative of Black people in the outdoors; how Outdoor Afro facilitates this vision through community connections in nature; why such experiences remain critical today; and how public lands can be more successful in meeting the needs of all citizens.

A public lands champion, outdoor gear designer, and published author, Mapp established the for-profit enterprise, Outdoor Afro, Inc., in 2021, and subsequently launched a 22-piece hike collection with outdoor retailer REI Co-op. Her first national book, Nature Swagger: Stories and Visions of Black Joy in the Outdoors, was published by Chronicle Books in November 2022.

In 2021, Mapp was recognized with an AFAR Travel Vanguard award; her many other recognitions include being a National Geographic 2019 Fellow, Heinz Awards Honoree, and National Wildlife Federation Communication Award recipient (received alongside President Bill Clinton). The White House also invited Mapp to participate in the America’s Great Outdoors Conference, which led to her participation in the launch of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative.

This program is made possible by Week Seven Presenting Sponsor Erie Insurance and The Marjorie and Frank Sterritte Memorial Lectureship.