Outdoor Retailer 2019

If you followed along with my Instagram stories this week you would’ve seen me posting a lot about the Outdoor Retailer show I attended with @browngirlsclimb and you probably saw a lot of what’s pictured above. 👆🏾 ☺️✨😂

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There is a lot that I want to say that didn’t make the stories. Everything I have shared so far has been the easy stuff. The pictures and moments that don’t take time and reflection before posting.

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Let’s dig a little deeper. Some things you didn’t see:

The night before the show when a white passing man verbally harassed a friend and fellow WOC outdoor leader and it took me and *six* other people to make him stop.

The night I sobbed from the pain currently swirling around our community.

The comfort and perspective offered to me by those I hold dear.

The conversations had with brands asking them to do better and do it *now*.

The resources and connections shared between Brown Girls Climb and other similarly aligned outdoor organizations.

The hard and necessary conversations had between myself and friends holding each other accountable.

How homogeneous (Read: cis, het, straight, able, white) the space was.

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It was an absolute privilege (in every sense of the word) to attend this event and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone I had the pleasure of connecting and reconnecting with.

There are still some major barriers to entry to events like this and we’re working on ways to begin leveling the playing field.

Hopefully pulling the curtain back, even just this little bit, will provide some more insight into how the industry works and serve as a resource for those looking to break in.

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📍 Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho territories