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Abstract
Spending time in nature is regarded as a great way to have fun and improve one’s mental or physical health. Black people are largely underrepresented in public parks and other outdoor spaces. My film explores the lack of Black presence in outdoor spaces in an effort to promote Black people’s usage of these places. I used interviews with students, environmental activists, and my own family in order to explore the scholarly, structural, cultural, and personal factors that impact Black folks’ engagement with the outdoors. The interviews revealed several major takeaways including that Black people have historical roots in outdoor spaces that are often undiscussed and that their absence from these spaces is often due to concerns for their safety. The thoughts expressed by my interviewees suggested that community building and an intersectional approach are both important to Black people’s experiences outdoors. The discussions also highlighted the importance of structural inequity being addressed concurrently alongside attitudinal changes in the Black community.
Advisor
Bostdorff, Denise
Department
Communication Studies
Recommended Citation
Bills, Zoie, "Black Outside: A Film Exploring Black People’s Relationships With Outdoor Spaces" (2021). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 9285.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/9285
Disciplines
Health Communication | International and Intercultural Communication
Keywords
Black people, racial equity, environmental justice, outdoor activity
Publication Date
2021
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis Exemplar
© Copyright 2021 Zoie Bills