Year: 2015

Closing the Adventure Gap

As fall sets in across North America, I have noticed something most profound. After more than 20 years as a professional in the outdoor recreation industry, I’ve begun to see more people of color than ever before venturing out into the natural world. This is, of course, an anecdotal observation not based on numbers. But the… Continue reading Closing the Adventure Gap

Abernathy Man: Wayne Sutton

Abernathy Man is a series that spotlights remarkable black men and the work they’re doing. The tech industry has a problem with diversity. In the summer of 2015, Facebook released demographic statistics about its workforce: “…nearly 70% of its employees are men; 57% are white; Hispanics represent just 4%. Black employees comprised just 2% of their workforce.” Industry blog… Continue reading Abernathy Man: Wayne Sutton

And Then There Were Three

Garfield asked me to write a letter of recommendation recently, and here’s what I said: It’s not uncommon for me to agree to write a letter of recommendation, but rarely is it such an honor and a pleasure to do so. I’ve known Garfield for ten years, which gives me a sound perspective to evaluate… Continue reading And Then There Were Three

Spinach

This being her second visit to the grocery store, with its blinding fluorescent light and constant A/C, she came prepared. The wool sweater, a gift from her best friend back in Nairobi, smells of incense and coal, the scent of safe secrets, closeness, and familiarity. Its fabric caresses her chin as she exhales a memory… Continue reading Spinach

Love and Affliction

It took me a long time to figure out that my love wasn’t potent enough to be an antidote to that disease. In fact, even if the cure for that disease could have been detected within my love, the years spent responding to misdiagnosed symptoms proved to be fatal. The time spent improperly responding to… Continue reading Love and Affliction

The Revolution Will Go Viral

On the morning of April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray was walking in his Gilmor Homes neighborhood when his eyes met briefly with those of a white police officer’s. He ran. Since Gray was black, and Gilmor Homes is a housing project located within the city of Baltimore, the cop took this as probable cause to… Continue reading The Revolution Will Go Viral

Abernathy Man: Carlos Watson

Abernathy Man is a series that spotlights remarkable black men and the work they’re doing. You are one of the few people of color leading a large, mainstream global publication. Where did you get the name Ozy? Carlos Watson: There was a wonderful 200-year-old poem called “Ozymandias.”[1] I often interpreted to mean “think big, but… Continue reading Abernathy Man: Carlos Watson

Riding through Joburg with Lianne La Havas

“Is this Hillsong?” the driver asked. We were 100 meters from my house. There was not enough time for a sermon. In the front seat of the cab, I gathered myself before I answered. “No, it’s not Hillsong at all. At all. It’s Lianne La Havas,” I said, in a measured tone, collecting the overwhelming… Continue reading Riding through Joburg with Lianne La Havas