Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Led Organizations Building A More Inclusive Outdoors
Photo Credit: canva.com. Graphic Artist: Sarai Pak
Outdoor spaces in the United States are known for being overwhelmingly white. With a history of segregation and discrimination that discouraged BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) from engaging in outdoor spaces, it is no wonder that today’s population struggles to find a community of people who share the same interests.
The silver lining is that organizations are working to address this discrepancy and inspire marginalized communities to take up space in the outdoors. Here are five Asian-American and Pacific Islander-founded organizations providing community and guidance for Asian/Pacific Americans eager to get outside!
Outdoor Asian
Outdoor Asian is an organization dedicated to promoting inclusive outdoor spaces for Asian people and Pacific Islanders. With chapters in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, and Vermont, they encourage a well-rounded, multifaceted relationship with nature that honors their ancestors and the land.
The group engages local communities in outdoor excursions and workshops with the intent to inspire reverence for outdoor recreation. Outdoor Asian uplifts these communities through stories and connecting individuals with like-minded people in the outdoor and environmental sector.
“Outdoor Asian was started by Christopher Chalaka, who was struggling to find Asian outdoor organizations to join. He was inspired by Latino Outdoors and Outdoor Afro to create a community for Asian & Pacific Islanders,” said Shannah Tan, the Taiwanese-American Social Media Manager for Outdoor Asian.
Co-founders Christopher Chalaka and Kaiwen Lee share backgrounds in environmental justice, which influenced the beginnings of Outdoor Asian. They have built a community for AAPI people outdoors through an ecological and social justice lens.
Shannah embraced Outdoor Asian when she sought organizations to connect her with other AAPI people. She grew up swimming and biking and began hiking and camping as an adult.
“I love that Outdoor Asian brings history to the forefront and redefines what it means to get outside. We connect the outdoors to our food, culture, community, and history.”
Outdoor Asian connects history, culture, and recreation. In a white-supremacist society that erases POC from many mainstream narratives, they work to ensure that AAPI people can venture into the outdoors with their whole selves and not in the shadow of an “outdoorsy” person that has been constructed.
“Ultimately, we’re making the outdoors more accessible not just through education and gear but also through culture, food, and community.”
Outdoor Asian places conservation and environmental concerns at the center of its mission. They believe in respecting the land and its ancestral history, embodied by teaching the principles of “Leave No Trace.” Additionally, Outdoor Asian provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ people who have been threatened by recent legislation and partners with other outdoor groups for grassroots organizing.
The existence of this organization says that the outdoors are diverse and that Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have a right to take up space there. Representation matters and Outdoor Asian is ensuring that AAPI voices are being amplified.
2. Climb Like a Woman
Climb Like A Woman (CLAW) is India's largest woman-led climbing organization. They aim to create a positive space for women to learn, practice, and improve their skills while building an encouraging community. With their diverse background, CLAW promotes an inclusive environment where women can discover their strengths and realize their fullest potential.
Like many outdoor activities, climbing is a male-dominated sport. CLAW aims to change this by empowering women to be confident and break barriers in rock climbing.
"I got the idea in 2016 when I attended a Flash Foxy event in the U.S. and multiple other women-focused events," says Gowri Varanashi, founder of Climb Like a Woman. "In 2018, I called four other women climbers to start this with me; co-founders Prerna Dangi, Mel Batson, Vrinda Bhageria, and Lekha Rathinam, and started it along with them the same year in India."
Gowri has a background in Environmental Studies and Biology and formerly worked as a Nature Guide in the Peruvian Amazon. After returning to the United States, she expanded her outdoor expertise and began teaching nature connections to young children. Through these experiences, she saw first-hand how nature can rejuvenate a person. While teaching, she continued learning and rock climbing and wanted to share these passions with others.
"I was always focused on the outdoors and teaching and as I climbed in the U.S. and India, I began to notice many differences between the climbing scene in both countries.”
While climbing in the U.S. was more established, rock climbing in India, especially for women, was relatively unknown. Gowri and the other co-founders wanted to bridge the gap in rock climbing and provide women with a safe space to try something different.
"Being women ourselves, we were all aware of how culturally women are not supposed to be engaging in outdoor sports or recreation in India because that's not the role of a woman as per society's gender norms. So, we all strongly felt we needed to create a space where it's not just about climbing but also about empowering each other and breaking barriers together."
Climb Like A Woman works to add more perspectives to the climbing industry. They aim to provide women with a place to start conversations about cultural and gender norms that slowly progress women's rights in the country. They also work to destigmatize climbing and reestablish it as something achievable so that more women are willing to try it. CLAW has found its footing in merging a social cause with the sport.
Additionally, Gowri aims to bring conservation efforts into her teaching.
"I teach about animals, plants, primitive skills, and nature meditation throughout our events to raise awareness, love, and respect for the natural world."
With a few local events popping up around India, Climb Like A Woman is expanding and changing the face of rock climbing in India.
"Claw events are themselves a form of activism since we keep aside time for discussions with women who attend our events on what it means to be a woman in the outdoors and various challenges that come with it."
3. Brown Folks Fishing
Brown Folks Fishing (BFF) is a community-based organization of anglers. Through storytelling, events, and community-building, BFF expands access to fishing for BIPOC and reimagines it as a gateway to conservation. Brown Folks Fishing is shifting the narrative surrounding who should be allowed access to the water. Led by Vietnamese-American Tracy Nguyen-Chung, the organization is changing the face of the fishing industry as it stands today.
"I learned to fish from my father, who grew up doing the same back in Vietnam. I was about 8 when I caught my first fish," said Tracy.
As a film producer and outdoor enthusiast, Tracy's academic background in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and restorative justice deeply informs her lens on the outdoors and environmental justice. Her parents grew up in and around water and carried these relationships to the United States after fleeing the Vietnam War. Tracy's family and ancestors have always had deep connections with fish and water.
"Rivers are fundamental to Chinese and Vietnamese people — we draw our lineage, heritage, history, and culture from our rivers."
The inspiration for Brown Folks Fishing came when Tracy moved to Los Angeles after grad school. She then realized that white-majority narratives dominated the fishing industry and the mainstream culture around angling. This understanding did not accurately reflect her culture or experience, so BFF emerged as a space that intentionally centered these perspectives.
"We reimagine because the framework of conservation as it exists is deeply rooted in white supremacy, erasure, and colonialism. These same forces create a form of gatekeeping that presents significant barriers to BIPOC who are both in and new to the sport."
As the effects of climate change become increasingly apparent, it is becoming clearer that BIPOC communities bear the brunt of its consequences. These disproportionate impacts are a primary force driving Brown Folks Fishing. As racism is deeply intertwined with the climate crisis, solutions should be as well.
Brown Folks Fishing operates at the intersection of environmental justice, equity, and representation in the angling industry. With their efforts, anglers of color have been featured on platforms such as Patagonia, the Wild Salmon Center, and Orvis. BIPOC anglers are being highlighted for their skills without being tokenized.
Furthermore, these companies pledge Anglers for All, which establishes a benchmark for learning and a commitment to addressing racism and inequality in fishing and its industry.
"Together with these pledges, we're drawing bigger picture connections between environmental and racial justice and having tough conversations that no one wanted to engage in with us just a few short years ago."
Brown Folks Fishing's current conservation efforts include collaborating with the Wild Salmon Center to support an initiative to protect the Tillamook Forest in Oregon. Additionally, they are stewarding the Pyramid Lake waters and fisheries in Nevada and incubating new projects to connect communities to local conservation projects through the BFF Lab.
As recreational fishing expands, Brown Folks Fishing is carving out a space for BIPOC people to be a part of it. Through their work in education, representation, and environmental justice, they make fishing more accessible for all.
"The focus of our work is on expanding space, access, power, representation, and perhaps most importantly, joy for BIPOC in recreational fishing — and leading the charge to push the angling industry to meet us where we are at."
4. Soy Sauce Nation
Soy Sauce Nation began as an Instagram page to connect and showcase AAPI people passionate about snowboarding.
Co-founders Nirvana Ortanez and Andrew "AK" Kelly began by highlighting snowboarders and the occasional skateboarder on the profile. After meeting at the High Cascade Snowboard Camp in 2012, they bonded over the shared experience of being the "only ones" in these outdoor spaces. They also met Soy Sauce Nation's other founder, Max Tokunaga, working at a snow camp. Nirvana's background is rooted in surfing and snowboarding, and she previously was a professional snowboarder.
Working in snow camps allowed her to connect with people who shared her passions and vision for a safe space to celebrate her identity and love of snowboarding. With these relationships, Soy Sauce Nation works to pave the way for the next generation of diverse snowboarders, who won't have to contend with being the "only one" in sports. The organization helps cultivate strong relationships that give people the freedom to take up space.
"There has been an overall lack of diversity within the outdoors — especially in the snow space. We just wanted to show people that look like us exist in these spaces and only want to be able to grow," said Nirvana.
While starting small, Soy Sauce Nation has grown within the snowboarding community, rippling out to significantly impact diversity within the snowboarding industry. They encourage people to connect with their identities and show up as their whole selves in sports and beyond.
"It's about visibility and being proud of where you come from, who you are."
As Soy Sauce Nation continues to grow, they expand into new endeavors and opportunities for community connection. Their recent Stir-Fry event, hosted at the Woodward Tahoe, allowed AAPI snowboarders from all walks of life to come together, have fun, and bond over their shared love of the sport. The event consisted of a two-day private event and one community day, where participants could explore and celebrate their culture through snowboarding.
With their passion for snowboarding, love of community, and pride in their culture, Soy Sauce Nation is laying the groundwork for a diverse and inclusive snowboarding industry.
5. Radical Adventure Riders
Radical Adventure Riders' (RAR) mission centers on gender inclusivity and racial equity in cycling. Since its start in 2017, RAR has provided education, connections, resources, and support for the cycling community. They rely on their local chapters to carry out their mission at the ground level. These groups create localized cycling networks and programs that support FTWN-B (Femme, Transgender, Women, and Non-Binary) people while centering BIPOC. RAR has local branches in California, Connecticut, Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Co-founder Molly Sugar continually intersects grassroots organizing with art and design to create a more inclusive cycling community. She works with the rest of the RAR team to coordinate and disseminate resources and education to their cycling community.
The organization was previously known as WTF Bikexplorers and changed its name to represent its community more thoroughly. Their cycling community held a vote on social media, and Radical Adventure Riders was born.
"RAR committed to this name change to be mindful of the language that best reflects our community."
Radical Adventure Riders facilitates programs that are in line with its mission. One of these is the Gravel Squad, designed to expand the vision of inclusivity, diversity, and representation at gravel events. RAR supports FTWN-B cyclists who want to challenge themselves in gravel race events and work to cultivate a supportive environment where this can happen. In this way, participants can feel empowered to enjoy the sport and expand to new horizons.
RAR follows guiding principles that help promote safer spaces for learning and exploration with care, respect, and intention. These principles address empathy, respect, differing identities, understanding, and respect for the environment. RAR incorporates these principles into every corner of the organization, contributing to its commitment to building a more inclusive space.
Similarly, Radical Adventure Riders have also taken the Cycling Industry Pledge, which holds companies accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the cycling industry. As cycling is one of the most discriminatory outdoor industries, this pledge serves as a reminder and promise to elevate inclusivity as a cornerstone of outdoor culture, leaving a better space for future generations.
