黑人歷史月
Find Self-Care Just Outside Your Door
Keyana Jones-Nikaam was skeptical the first time a friend asked her to go on a hike. “He was Black, and I remember thinking, ‘What? Black people do that?’” she recalls.
For Jones-Nikaam, who eventually founded the Black hiking group Hikeolution, the bigger shock came later. “Turns out I loved it,” she says. “I was hooked.”
Now more people, like Jones-Nikaam, are encouraging others to look to nature not only as a means of self-care and fitness but also as a path to collective well-being.
We spoke to the founders of four grassroots groups about making the outdoors more accessible to all and the apps they rely on to move mountains.
Keyana Jones-Nikaam
‣ Hikeolution (New Jersey)
Despite Jones-Nikaam’s newfound passion for hiking, she was skeptical that others in her circle would be interested. When she invited friends and family on a group outing for her birthday, she tempered her expectations.
“I really didn’t think anyone would show up,” she says. Seventeen people came out.
“Afterward everyone asked, ‘Well, when’s the next one?’”
So Jones-Nikaam kept the momentum going, and for a couple of years she was organizing a hike for friends and family every week. In 2018 she widened her circle by creating a Hikeolution group in the Meetup app dedicated to “reconnecting Black people to the great outdoors.”
With a few taps, the app lets you create a group for a range of interests and share it with millions of people. Now over 1,700 members strong, Hikeolution has organized hundreds of hikes across New Jersey and New York.
Today the group hosts multiple hikes a week, and Jones-Nikaam has tapped her friend Nubia Lumumba to help lead the excursions. Among their regular events: an annual MLK Day Reflection Hike and treks through Bear Mountain.
For Jones-Nikaam and fellow Hikeolution members, getting out in nature is a way to de-stress and refresh. “There are so many signals out in the world, from inside and outside the Black community, that say the outdoors aren’t for us,” she says. “But in reality, the outdoors are for everyone.”
Jones-Nikaam’s essential hiking apps
‣ Meetup brought Hikeolution together. Although the group is based in New Jersey, there are similar ones around the country, says Jones-Nikaam. (Search “Black hiking” in the app.) “And if you don’t find your group, start one like I did.”
‣ With over 400,000 crowdsourced trail guides, AllTrails helps you find your path. Reviews and photos by the community give you a full picture (and often insider details) before you head out. Plus, the app helps you prepare for the trail with an advanced conditions report.
‣ Hikeolution’s events range from the “Easy Like Sunday Morning” series to more ambitious 20-mile treks. The group’s members often turn to the free on-demand video classes in Nike Training Club to get in tip-top shape.
Alison Mariella Désir
‣ Harlem Run (New York)
In 2011 Alison Mariella Désir saw a friend’s social media post about training for a marathon. “He didn’t have some superthin running body; he was just a regular dude,” Désir recalls. “And he would post about how he was getting stronger mentally and physically by training.”
Désir was struggling with a severe bout of depression at the time. She credits running with pulling her out.
“It helped me go from feeling helpless to feeling capable,” she says. “Running really changed my life.”
She founded Harlem Run in 2013 “to share that experience with other Black and brown people,” she says. The group had humble beginnings. Désir posted flyers around her neighborhood advertising the weekly Monday-evening runs and spread the word on social media. For four months, she ran alone.
Little by little, however, people joined her. ”Within a year we had 150 people running with us every Monday night. We never have less than a dozen,” she says. “My favorite thing is when we’re running as a group and some kids see us and start running alongside us.”
Today the group welcomes runners of all sizes, ages, and abilities to “run the streets of our iconic neighborhood and get fit together.” Membership is free.
Although Désir still posts on social media, many new members learn about Harlem Run via the fitness-tracking app Strava—home to a thriving and friendly runners’ community—and the group-organizing app Heylo. (To find a running group near you in Strava, tap the Groups tab, then search by location and sport; in Heylo, simply search a phrase like “weekend running.”)
Not surprisingly, popular apps like Map My Run, Nike Run Club, and Runkeeper are big among members who want to track their weekly group runs, says Désir.
For Désir, the importance of the group goes beyond fitness. “In Harlem, which has dealt with a lot of changes due to gentrification, our runs remind everyone that we, as Black and brown people, are still here.”
Désir’s essential running apps
‣ What makes Strava shine is everyone you can break a sweat with. Discover a club to join (like Harlem Run), or join others near and far in monthly Challenges. The app is also great for discovering new trails; simply sync your contacts to scope out your friends’ favorite routes.
‣ Heylo is built for groups of any kind to organize events and keep in touch. You can create a group and spread the word for free!
‣ Fitness trackers like Map My Run, Nike Run Club, and Runkeeper keep tabs on the distance you’ve covered, your average pace, time spent, and much more.
Zenovia Stephens
‣ Black Kids Adventures (Alabama)
Getting outside has been the key to happiness for Zenovia Stephens’ family of five, but her experience was similar to many other Black outdoor enthusiasts. “We would rarely see other Black people, much less families,” she says.
After the pandemic lockdowns, Stephens wanted to ensure access for all. So she founded Black Kids Adventures in 2020 as a way to give Black and brown families “equal outdoor opportunities.”
Based in Huntsville, Alabama, the nonprofit organizes events for families to enjoy with other families. “You can’t just drop your kids off,” says Stephens. “You show up and participate.”
Past activities include stand-up paddleboarding, outdoor yoga, hiking, and caving, but camping remains one of the most popular. “Camping gets you away for a few days and lets you disconnect from the world and just live in nature,” she says.
Although one goal is to unplug, Stephens has found that apps sometimes enhance the experience. On overnight camping trips, her husband, George, uses stargazing apps—like Night Sky or Sky Guide—to show families exactly which constellations and galaxies are overhead.
And Seek by iNaturalist is a technical marvel that’s easy for children to use; it identifies plants and animals via your iPhone camera and awards you badges when you observe certain species in the wild.
Stephens suggests those new to camping start with small steps. “If you have a backyard, do backyard camping,” she says. “Getting the kids outside, letting them run around and get their energy out, letting them be free—it’s as good for parents as it is for kids.”
Stephens’ essential camping apps
‣ Like Hikeolution founder Keyana Jones-Nikaam, Stephens relies on the vast AllTrails database. “You can use it to find anything—trails for driving off-road, wheelchair- or stroller-friendly trails. It’s one of the best apps you can use to get outside.”
‣ With apps like Night Sky or Sky Guide, just point your iPhone camera to the heavens to see an AR map of what’s above you.
‣ A joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society, Seek by iNaturalist taps the power of image-recognition technology and AI to identify over 454,586 species of plants, animals, fungi, and more using your iPhone camera.
Chelsea Connor
‣ Black Birders Week (South Carolina)
In May 2020 Chelsea Connor saw fellow birder Christian Cooper go viral. In a widely reported incident, Cooper, who is Black, was birdwatching in Central Park when a white woman reported him to the police for threatening her. A video Cooper shot on his smartphone, which was circulated widely on social media, showed otherwise.
“We all saw the video online, and because this is something we've all experienced, something that is just not OK, we decided we should take the opportunity to turn this into something positive,” Connor says.
A few days later, Connor and others from the group Black AF In STEM started using the hashtag #BlackBirdersWeek to connect with those who’ve had similar experiences in the outdoors, and to inspire more Black people to get involved in birding and the sciences.
Black Birders Week is now an annual virtual event, organized each May. Last year it included webinars on the power of visual storytelling with photographers, a conversation on Caribbean bird culture, and discussions on how Black birders can prioritize their mental health. (Some events are available to stream on demand.)
For Connor, a PhD student at Clemson University, apps have made birding easier to get into. Audubon Bird Guide is a great resource for discovering great birding spots near you and identifying the species you spot there, while the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird lets you record your sightings, even when you don’t have internet access.
When you hear a bird but can’t see it, Connor recommends launching Merlin Bird ID. Let the app listen and it will identify the species.
“What I love about birding is that birds are pretty much everywhere,” she says. “They’re in the cities, not just out in rural areas. You’ll realize that anytime you’re outside, in some form of nature.”
Connor’s essential birding apps
‣ The Sound ID tool in Merlin Bird ID can help you identify over 1,054 species of birds by their vocalization. Or snap a pic and use the app’s Photo ID feature. Prefer to browse? You can see which birds are near you at different times of the year and listen to recordings of their songs and calls on the Explore tab.
‣ A companion app to Merlin Bird ID, this app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology lets you log and share your sightings with the world’s largest birding community.
‣ Audubon Bird Guide is Connor’s top recommendation for beginner birders. It walks you step by step through identifying over 800 birds. Check the Explore tab for spectacular birding spots across North America.
‣ The messaging app Discord began as a platform for videogame lovers; these days, many birdwatching groups use it to discuss all things birding.