Dineo Dowd

While there are incredible women of color in U.S. history, it’s important to recognize the work done by Black women around the world. Miriam Makeba was a South African singer who spoke out against apartheid for decades. Her story has inspired me to come out of my shell, follow my heart and passion, be brave, and embrace my culture through the outdoors.

When I began my hiking journey 7 years ago, I was young and had no hint of what to expect when I got on the trails alone. My Black community started to question my intentions, and white people were staring at me repeatedly on the trails because I was a Black woman – and even worse, I had an accent. I wasn’t wearing hiking gear because the girls in the outdoor magazines were all white, skinny and tall with long hair. As time passed on, it crossed my mind that I was doing “white people things,” as my family described me. I wore pink lipstick to look beautiful while hiking. I thought I had to.

But Miriam Makeba wore no makeup, and refused to straighten her hair for shows. Her self-presentation has been characterized by scholars as a rejection of the predominantly white standards of beauty that women in the U.S. were held to, which allowed Makeba to partially escape the sexualization directed at women performers during that period. She called for unity between Black people of African descent across the world. Her story encouraged me to get outside every day, speak up, stand up for what I believe in, and write hiking books for children of color from different cultures, to motivate them to get outside and explore – but how could I inspire them when they didn’t see people like them on the outdoor magazines?