Last Updated on June 26, 2024 by BVN
Jazzari Taylor | Latino Outdoors
As we celebrate the perseverance and spirit of Black people in the United States this Juneteenth holiday, I reflect on what it means to promote equity, access, and public lands for communities of Black and brown people.
Inspired by my father’s passion for bringing public services and park programs together, I pursued a career in parks and recreation more than a decade ago. Despite his example and my own experience in the parks and recreation space, it wasn’t until 2016 that I stepped out of my comfort zone to attend an event hosted by Latino Outdoors. I later was on-boarded as a volunteer and years later found myself as part of the National Support Staff.
Through the encouragement of others, mentorship, and years of building my own learning, I feel like I can be in a position where I have the power to steward public lands and promote a more accessible outdoors for all. Not just be in the outdoors, but truly have a say in which lands deserve our care and attention, what communities should have a seat at the table, and how we collectively care for these special places moving forward.
My story is not unique to our community. Green and open spaces are less likely to be accessible for people of color as are the career opportunities tied to them. This lack of access increases the inequities among the community and decreases opportunities for success. Decisions about green and open spaces are made for our communities instead of by our communities.
One famous example of this is Central Park in New York City. The Park is now a place that is open and accessible to all, but it came at the sacrifice of a community of predominantly African-Americans known as Seneca Village. The Village had allowed many families to live in healthier conditions and to escape the racial discrimination often faced in the more densely populated downtown Manhattan. Yet, it was ultimately their health and financial well-being that was sacrificed to create the country’s first major urban public park.
Here on the West Coast, proximity to nature has often been reserved for those with wealth and privilege. When communities were able to overcome the barriers posed by rampant and violent racism, the power structures very often bent to the racist outcries attempting to return things to the status quo.
Bruce’s Beach in the city of Manhattan Beach, was an escape for many Black families who were not welcome at most of California’s beaches due to Jim Crow laws and practices. This natural oasis for Black communities didn’t last long, as city officials seized lots owned by Black families under the guise of turning the land into a public park. The lots were left undeveloped for decades until descendants and advocates were able to recover the properties. Our collective power and years of effort as a community allowed for justice and restitution to finally become a reality.
Central Park and Bruce’s Beach are just some examples of the inequality communities have faced when it comes to access to nature and its benefits. Our communities continue to face hardships due to past and current systematic barriers. Over the course of the last several decades, local communities in Riverside County and the eastern Coachella Valley have suffered from extreme heat, air and water pollution, and limited access to nature. But like Bruce’s Beach, this year we have an opportunity to continue making changes to improve recreation access and how public lands in this region are managed for the benefit of our communities.
Recently, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited with local residents, elected officials, and Tribal Nations to discuss the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument, located between Palm Desert and Blythe along the I-10. The proposed National Monument will help ensure equitable access to nature for residents of the eastern Coachella Valley and other local communities. Permanently protecting nearby public lands, such as those in the Chuckwalla landscape, is an opportunity to ensure that these places are here for current and future generations to enjoy.
Let’s continue to muster the courage I once found in 2016, to become engaged and create the seat at the table we deserve. Together, we can close the nature gap, create opportunities for economic growth, and restore the bonds with nature that have been severed by structural and systemic racist practices.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jazzari Taylor (Jazz-err-ee) was born in Los Angeles County and raised there and in the San Gabriel Valley. Jazz’s multicultural and racial background helps her bring a unique perspective to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Jazzari holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from the University of California, Riverside, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with an emphasis on Leadership Development from National University, San Diego. She has been a participant and volunteer throughout California communities, is Chair of the Parks Now Coalition, and the Policy Advocate with Latino Outdoors supporting the organization’s Monumentos public lands protection campaigns