by James Hong, Associate Director of Philanthropy
In 2014 I had the opportunity to hike the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier. It's arguably Washington State's greatest hike; 94 miles of elevation gain and loss through lowland forests, valleys, and alpine areas. The Wonderland is a coveted hike where permits must be obtained through a lottery. It’s backpacker’s dream.
James joined The Nature Conservancy to align a love of the outdoors with a lifelong commitment to social justice and equity. He previously served refugee and immigrant communities in the fields of youth and education.
My friends and I planned for months after receiving our "golden ticket". We sorted gear, portioned meals, and mapped out all the campsites along our journey. I hit the ground running on the first day and hiked faster and further than my friends. Four days later, I was inside a car, headed home. Dang it. Here’s what happened…
My body started aching around Day 2 but I didn't listen to it. I ignored the pain and discomfort and powered through the next couple days. By Day 4 every step was painful. I couldn't even carry my own pack! Despite my desire to hike all 94 miles, it wasn’t fair or reasonable to expect my friends to shoulder the burden for me. They ended up working twice as hard and were succumbing to their own injuries as a result. My eagerness to hike further and faster than everyone else ultimately did more harm than good. This journey, in many ways, mirrors the larger movement for social justice and racial equity.
Along the Wonderland Trail in Mt. Rainier National Park. Photo by James Brooks.
I am grateful to see growing support for Black lives, Indigenous communities, refugees and immigrants, and communities of color. I’m especially encouraged to see the many calls to action for undoing institutionalized racism in our country. For those who are newly committed to this cause, we are going to be on a long journey together with lots of elevation gain and loss. It's important we sustain ourselves. That means listening to our bodies and staying focused on the path ahead. The lessons below helped me in my own anti-racism journey.
Know your learning style!
There are many resources for us to learn how a history of racism and oppression continue to harm communities of color. From blog posts to books, podcast, videos, and documentaries…there's more information to consume than minutes in the day. Knowing where to start, or even how to start, can feel paralyzing.
Resources
I’m a Black climate scientist. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet. (Washington Post)
White Lies (NPR)
The 1619 Project (New York Times)
Find the resources that align best to your learning style and start there. If you haven't finished a full book in years, now is not the time to start. For example, I'm currently reading "Born A Crime" by Trevor Noah. It's a 285-page book I've been reading for six months. Six freaking months! And I'm still not done. Even a pandemic couldn't spur me to finish this book any faster.
But I have watched eight documentaries and listened to 63 podcasts about race and culture in America.
Don't try to do everything. Find the 1-2 actions you can be great at and commit to them.
There are a lot of ways to act right now but you will burn out if you try to do everything at once. Worse, if you don't see change happen immediately, you might feel hopeless, jaded or even resentful. That's not good for you and not good for Black, Indigenous and marginalized communities.
Pick one thing you're certain you can commit to. Once you feel comfortable/confident doing it, add another thing. Listen to your body and adjust as needed in order to sustain your actions.
Keep yourself accountable.
It's easy to back slide in this work because of everything else happening. By committing to act, all you've done is made a promise. Promises are easy to make. I promised myself I would stop eating junk food and last week devoured two bags of pretzels by myself. I ate it with hummus, for what it’s worth.
It’s important we fulfill our promises, and that takes time. Can you sustain your commitments after a week? A month? Six months? Set a reminder in your calendar, make a pact with a friend, write it down in your planner, whatever works for you.
Did you accomplish what you wanted? If not, what held you back? Were you being honest and realistic with yourself? Are there other actions you can try?
And if you don’t get it right the first time (like me), keep trying!
***
I had the good fortune of hiking the Wonderland Trail again in 2018. I made sure to learn from, and not repeat, my mistakes from 2014. That meant slowing down, understanding my discomforts, listening to my body and asking for help when I needed it.
After 11 long days, I finished the Wonderland Trail in one piece! I did lose my cellphone in a river though, and along with it over 200 trail photos and 2 hours of videos. If anyone happens to come across a Google Pixel on Mt. Rainier, please return it to me. Thank you.
