Mosaic in Motion

IMBA Trail News
Volume 15, Number 5
Winter 2002

For several years, I've been involved in Mosaic in Motion, an initiative to encourage diversity on trails. I've attended annual Mosaic conferences hosted by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS). These events are designed to promote greater diversity in the visitors, supporters and workforce of the National Park System.

Mosaic conferences are inspirational. Participants come from many cultures, and are inclusive in their approach to ideas and to each other. Workshops deal with matters such as racism, diversity in the work force and among park visitors and supporters, partnerships between NPS and diverse community groups, and youth in parks.

It's no secret that our riding partners and most trail communities tend to be white, middle and upper class, containing few people of color. But why is diversity important? How will it help us get access, or new trails?

Mosaic in Motion provides answers. There are ethical and philosophical reasons. It's the "right thing to do," and would enrich our lives. There are practical reasons. The quest for diversity provides a great opportunity to work with our agency partners. Nonprofit funders increasingly require a diversity strategy for boards of directors and groups served, before giving grants. Also, basic support for public lands could be threatened, as people of color decide not to subsidize recreation for middle and upper class white folks, who are rapidly becoming a minority.

Mosaic in Motion tells us it is not enough to end discrimination. It is hard to attract people of color to parks, when few who work or recreate there look like them, or when other visitors react negatively to their mere presence because of stereotyping. In recent history it wasn't even safe for African Americans to be alone in the woods. Native Americans dislike hearing park interpreters tell the history of the white settlers, leaving out the story of those who were here first. And so it goes.

Solutions are complex. The most important thing is to create a park experience relevant to all cultures. That involves reaching out to different communities to see what they need and expect.

IMBA clubs can participate - in fact, some already are - by supporting programs like Trips for Kids, which take inner city kids into parks. They can discuss diversity, and explore ways to bring people of color into their ranks, onto their boards and trails. These and other approaches may help us understand the importance of the issue to our future, and to develop strategies to deal with it. For more info on Mosaic in Motion visit www.imba.com.

- Michael Kelley, IMBA Board of Directors 1988-2000