In this opinion piece, Brandan Freeman of "Shades of the Outdoors" provides critical insights into the broken promises of "The Wilderness Act" and "Civil Rights Act" - and how all Americans can better uphold the call for an "Outdoors for All."
The year 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of one of the most important pieces of legislation impacting the American outdoors: The Wilderness Act.
The Wilderness Act drastically expanded the definition of what could be conserved under federal law. As a result, millions of acres of land across the country have been protected from commercialization and human development. This land has been protected to be used for, according to the Act’s edict, the "permanent good of all people."
The anniversary of the Act’s signing is worth celebrating by anyone who experiences our national parks, monuments, waterways, and public lands. As an outdoor enthusiast, I extol the Wilderness Act as a shining example of American ingenuity, perseverance, and commitment to conservation. Indeed, it truly is.
It is also one of the most visible examples of systemic racism in this era of “color blindness.”
This year, as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, we should also celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act. Both acts were approved by Congress within the same legislation session.
The Wilderness Act was passed unanimously, in a bipartisan manner, by members of the House of Representatives on July 30, 1964.Three weeks earlier, members of the House convened to vote on the Civil Rights Act, which fortunately passed on July 2, 1964.
Unlike the Wilderness Act, however, the passage of the Civil Rights Act was highly contentious and far from unanimous. In fact, when you analyze the voter rolls for both Acts, you undeniably discover systemic inequality in action. Out of all of the votes cast, nearly one third of Congress members that voted in favor of the Wilderness Act, did not vote in favor of the Civil Rights Act.
That's right. Over 100 members of congress were simultaneously in favor of the Wilderness Act, but starkly against guaranteeing civil rights for millions of Americans.
Two days before Independence Day - a day that Americans praise the virtues of freedom and independence, and three weeks before signing legislation that would preserve land for the enjoyment of all Americans - hundreds of members of Congress voted against granting African Americans rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
In doing so, Congress perpetuated the dual-definition of what it meant to be an American. The reality of who, where, and how Americans can live their lives. Regardless of the de jure wins passed within the Civil Rights Act, the de facto definition of “all Americans” remained unchanged.
Congress' actions affirmed that irrespective of the Act, Americans that identify as members of the global majority (often inaccurately labeled as BIPOC) would remain explicitly excluded. This intentional re-amplification of the racial caste system reaffirmed who qualifies as Americans. And, very notably, who were eligible to enjoy public outdoor recreation areas.
“All” did not truly mean all.
And that legacy of "not all" in our outdoors persists 60 years later.
A common saying among the outdoor community is that "the outdoors does not discriminate." Yes, this is true on its face - there are no records of trees or mountains engaging in hate speech or acts of bigotry.
The social construct of "the outdoors," however, has a documented history of racism that both predates and survives the Wilderness Act and the Civil Rights Act. The displacement of Native Americans from their indigenous lands began long before the establishment of our Constitution in 1789. The monstrous amount of lynchings that occurred from 1865 to 1950s usually took place in forests or natural spaces. Even our beloved National Parks System was segregated until 1945.
And in recent memory, discrimination in the outdoors has persisted in both covert ways - such as in the case of Christian Cooper, threatened with violence and arrest while bird-watching in Central Park - to overt and life-threatening ways, such as the tragedy of Ahmaud Arbery's murder while running outdoors in February of 2020.
Here are additional facts on the current state of the outdoors in America:
Only 23% of visitors to the 432 national park units across the U.S. are people of color.
74% percent of communities of color in the contiguous United States live in nature-deprived areas, compared with just 23% of white communities.
Nature destruction has had the largest impact on low-income communities of color, depriving such communities of air and water purification, climate mitigation, biodiversity and disease control, and opportunities for leisure and recreation.
In Michigan, people of color comprise 85% of residents living in a nature-deprived area.
Oftentimes words lose their gravity, importance, and meaning due to overuse.
"Systemic" is one of those words. Same with "inequality."
From this day forward, when you hear the phrase "systemic inequality," remember the Wilderness and Civil Rights Acts. Inequality is deeply rooted into our society, laws, customs, and courtesies. When we say the "outdoors" was created within a construct that systemically excludes people of the global majority, the Wilderness Act is, unfortunately, exactly what we mean. Remember the statistics referenced here, and how they reflect the duality of what it means to be an American in our "outdoors."
It is important to note that conservation didn’t end in 1964. In the 60 years post ratification, numerous additional pieces of legislation were signed to protect millions of additional acres of land. Even today, conservationists in Michigan are fighting in Lansing to protect Porcupine Mountains State Park from a foreign company's plan to erect a metallic sulfide waste facility directly adjacent to the park's boundary.
Similarly, the fight for Civil Rights did not end on signing day. The fight for equality for all rages on. And it must continue, because 60 years after these two pieces of legislation were signed, forthcoming government policies continue to threaten the viability of both civil rights and conservation within the United States and around the world.
The job wasn’t done then. Our job isn’t done now.
Being mindful of our history, and perhaps the future, we call on outdoor organizations to look inwards. Scrutinize your values, guiding principles, and practices. Colorblindness alone will not bring change. Intentional anti-racist actions are necessary.
Only when that occurs will the outdoors truly become a place for everyone.
This article was originally published as “From 1964 to 2024” on November 11, 2024 via Shades of the Outdoors and is republished on Expedition Detroit with the express written consent of Shades of the Outdoors and Brandan Freeman. Further republications of the original article require the express written consent of Brandan Freeman.
This article expresses the views of its author(s), which do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.
Great article