CiNCA Equity Book Club: Black Faces, White Spaces

From the Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin (CiNCA) –

We’re launching a book club as way to continue our conversations about race and equity in the outdoors! The first book we’re going to read is Carolyn Finney’s “Black Faces, White Spaces.” There are several copies available for checkout through the Austin Public Library. We will read through Chapter 3 of the book for our first meeting. Folks are encouraged to bring blankets to sit on the grass as well as snacks and drinks to share. The discussion will be followed by a hike on Shield Ranch. More info TBA!

You can RSVP here.

About the book:
Why are African Americans so underrepresented when it comes to interest in nature, outdoor recreation, and environmentalism? In this thought-provoking study, Carolyn Finney looks beyond the discourse of the environmental justice movement to examine how the natural environment has been understood, commodified, and represented by both white and black Americans. Bridging the fields of environmental history, cultural studies, critical race studies, and geography, Finney argues that the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, and racial violence have shaped cultural understandings of the “great outdoors” and determined who should and can have access to natural spaces.

Drawing on a variety of sources from film, literature, and popular culture, and analyzing different historical moments, including the establishment of the Wilderness Act in 1964 and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Finney reveals the perceived and real ways in which nature and the environment are racialized in America. Looking toward the future, she also highlights the work of African Americans who are opening doors to greater participation in environmental and conservation concerns.