Rue Mapp

I founded Outdoor Afro 2009 as social media community to reconnect African-Americans with natural spaces and one another through recreational activities such as camping, hiking, biking, fishing, gardening, skiing — and more! Outdoor Afro facilitates interest communities, events, and partners with regional and national organizations that support diverse participation in the Great Outdoors. During my childhood, I split my time between urban Oakland, California and my families’ working ranch in Clear Lake, CA, where I cultivated a passion for natural spaces, farming, and learned how to hunt and fish. As a youth, my participation in the Girl Scouts and Outward Bound broadened my outdoor experiences, such as camping, mountaineering, rock climbing, and road bicycling. But I was troubled by the consistently low numbers of African Americans participating in these activities. So for over a decade, I have used digital media as an important and practical tool to connect with people of color who share outdoor interests. Outdoor Afro emerged naturally from this experiences. I have a B.A. in the History of Art from the University of California, Berkeley, where I studied the artistic representation of the American forests. I am also a successful entrepreneur whose game and hobby store start-up (It’s Your Move) remains an important part of the Oakland community. I currently reside in the SF Bay Area, California with my children.