Jenessa Carlisle: Decolonizing the Outdoors to Reclaim Nature for Communities of Color

Historically, people of color have not been given the right to experience nature freely, and still, now, a stereotype that ‘Black people do not do nature’ continues to exist. In the past, Black people have been treated and viewed as less than human, primitive, and a part of nature themselves. Because of this constant comparison between Black people and wild animals, particularly apes and monkeys, both psychological and physical components became integrated into society and is one of the leading factors of the underrepresentation of Black people in nature and the systemic racism that continues today. A good example is Carolyn Finney’s White Spaces, Black Faces, where she relates the outdoors and the exclusion of African Americans (one of Jenessa’s inspirations). To this day, a variety of Americans continue to believe African Americans are unfit for the right of citizenship, and that extends to having green spaces. Whereas, in reality, the outdoors is ancestrally and indigenously a space for BIPOC communities to bea part of, that was intentionally taken away from them; they couldn’t enjoy nature, own land, or visit many public parks or conservation sites. However, at the same time, they were also treated like a part of nature itself, in both media, legislation, and blatant racism, an idea that became so ingrained in society that it has lasting effects even now, but is completely incorrect in principle and is something that environmentalists like Jenessa Carlisle are working to address, to shift the focus back onto how BIPOC communities truly do belong in and should feel welcomed, and comfortable in green spaces.

In order to learn more about this issue and how it has adapted to the 21st century, we interviewed Jenessa Carlisle, a graduate of Indiana University with a degree in Public, Nonprofit, and Community Recreation. She has worked as a boat captain, trail guide, and dog musher along the Canadian border, but more recently, she held a position at Wilderness Inquiry and is now a Parks and Trails Ambassador at the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities. She is passionate about diversifying representation in the outdoors, emphasizing equity and inclusion in outdoor spaces, and breaking down the systemic barriers that keep communities of color out of the outdoors. 

Jenessa’s passion for the work she does first sparked in college when she began working at the YMCA as a summer camp counselor. She grew fond of the outside environment she was surrounded by while working at the YMCA. When she realized she could do this as her career, Jenessa immediately changed her major from Pre-Dental to Parks and Recreation while actively searching for outdoor seasonal positions during the summer. From there, she says she “kept doing it; following more opportunities and meeting more people”, that philosophy landing her in her current position. Unfortunately, in both her educational and work environments, Jenessa constantly noticed one thing: she never saw people like her in these spaces. She found herself having to explain her culture constantly and without a sense of understanding from her coworkers, ultimately creating a sense of frustration and hurt. She felt that people of color were not welcomed in the outdoors or environmental studies/justice settings, which motivated Jenessa to remain in this work. She wanted to be that representation to get more people of color into the field and outside.

Jenessa’s work focuses on motivating and encouraging communities of color to engage with the outdoors. She also collaborates with the government to decolonize outdoor spaces and address the disparities in how parks serve different groups, including those the system may be intentionally excluding. With her perspective as a woman of color, she evaluates the inclusivity of parks and addresses historical injustices and barriers inflicted on communities of color by our parks system. However, in this work, she experiences a multitude of challenges, such as navigating sensitive topics in her predominantly white workplace. Repeatedly, she has noticed her coworkers expecting her to bear the brunt of representing an entire community’s emotions and recount her own very personal experiences with racism, placing an excessive burden on her to be the sole input on these issues. Also, within her workplace, many environmental injustices or microaggressions go unnoticed due to a lack of awareness or disparate perspectives on the world, requiring her to take on a leadership role and advocate for these concerns. However, to address this imbalance, she prioritizes transparency and ensures that her coworkers actively engage in environmental justice concepts rather than solely relying on her contributions. 

Moreover, she also faces significant stereotyping as a woman of color, specifically when vocalizing her thoughts on environmental justice work; people often feel threatened and uncomfortable and accuse her of being aggressive, causing her to have to cautiously poke around the issue rather than have an honest, productive conversation. Financial aspects, including high winter gear expenses and minimal support from coworkers in guidance and references, further add to these challenges. People often incorrectly assume that she knows certain things without considering her lived experience and different background, under the impression that this knowledge is ‘standard’ or ‘common’ for everyone. Despite these difficulties, however, seeing people of color enjoying nature and being a part of BIPOC healing is a reward and motivates her to continue her passion. Seeing people of color enjoying nature and being a part of BIPOC healing is a reward and motivates her to continue her passion. Jenessa recalls one of her favorite experiences introducing BIPOC individuals to the outdoors. “I co-led a BIPOC retreat up in the Boundary Waters, and there was almost 60 of us all black and brown… and my friend, a black man, was holding a bag of flamin’ hot Cheetos on a frozen lake… and it was just so iconic to see our people doing our thing… that is just something you would not see in a REI magazine or National Geographic…seeing my people being themselves outside is what keeps me going.” In the future, she hopes to see more people of color actively involved in outdoor initiatives, fostering a welcoming and safe environment where BIPOC representation is the norm. Although the Environmental Justice movement still hasa long way to go concerning the inclusion of BIPOC individuals, Jenessa enlightened us with some advice for young activists wanting to get involved in the scene. She said, “Just do it, get into it. It can be scary and daunting, but you always have community wherever you go… do not be afraid to lean into discomfort… do not let people tell you, you are not qualified in any field, you are the most qualified.” “Just do it. It can be scary and daunting, but you have community wherever you go… lean into discomfort… do not let people tell you that you are not qualified in any field, you are the most qualified.”She recalled her experiences traveling and trying new things, believing these perspectives gave her a unique worldview, for which she is very grateful. Additionally, taking these opportunities further enhanced her networking, which she expresses is critical to opening doors to more traveling opportunities, community building, and career finding. 

Intentionality is essential to Jenessa. Going to a PWI, where she found herself to be one of the only people of color in her environmental courses, led Jenessa to question the motives behind why people sometimes take action. For someone’s reality to be considered an assignment is brutal, but Jenessa encountered those things while taking courses like this. Since many would have different experiences than her, Jenessa became skeptical of the motives behind specifications. Therefore, she encourages white individuals to stand up, take more action, and genuinely engage with communities of color to see them as more than assignments because these issues are genuine. “To all activists and young white activists, it is 2024; there is no time for passiveness anymore,” Jenessa advises. Given Jenessa’s challenges, she believes there is no more time to see an “us vs. them” division in environmental justice. Ultimately, the field and everyone who is affected by these problems is a community, Jenessa says. Therefore, the need to fight against these problems together is significantly increasing. 

In summary, as a Black woman doing environmental justice work, Jenessa continues to face challenges regarding her skin, stereotypes, and meek attitudes toward harsh realities. Through her work experience(s), Jenessa hopes to decolonize and promote the outdoors to people of color because it is truly incredible. She is passionate about diversifying representation in the outdoors, highlighting equity and inclusion in outdoor spaces, and breaking down the systemic barriers that keep communities of color out of the outdoors. Her love for BIPOC joy makes Jenessa Carlisle a force not to be reckoned with.