Rue Mapp, Founder of Outdoor Afro
By Hilary Meyerson
Rue Mapp is changing the world, one mouse-click at a time.
Mapp is the founder of Outdoor Afro, a website and online community that reconnects African-Americans with the outdoors and one another through activities such as camping, hiking, biking, birding, and skiing. Outdoor Afro uses social media in innovative ways to support and highlight diverse participation in outdoor recreation.
Mapp and Outdoor Afro are breaking down preconceptions about who are outdoor enthusiasts, and showing that the outdoors truly belongs to all.
Mapp has been recognized with countless awards for her work, including invitations to President Obama’s historical White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors, and to a think-tank for Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. Besides being a national leader, she’s also a busy mom of three, and is not afraid to hit the rapids in a white-water raft.
We caught up with Rue to find out more about her.
ONW: How does Outdoor Afro work to bring more African-American women into outdoor sports and activities?
RM: Look at our logo. It’s intentionally a woman. We wanted to push out an image that was fun and relatable. Men are often considered the doers. We’re appealing to women between ages 35-44, many of whom have advanced degrees. They are leaders in their churches, PTAs, and companies. We’ve also launched a leadership development program for everyday people who have a fire in their belly to lead an outdoor program. They lead a trip, blog about it, use social media to voice and share those experiences. They will encourage others. They are our ambassadors. And they are nature ambassadors. We’re slowly but surely moving the needle toward greater engagement.
ONW: What is the role of social media in your mission?
RM: It’s the medium of the day. If we’re not using that medium to have conversations and share images of women in the outdoors, we are missing out. It’s important that people see images of themselves. If they don’t see themselves, they don’t feel welcomed or included. It’s important to disrupt the usual representation of people engaged in outdoor recreation. Social media is the most expedient vehicle to make that happen.
ONW: What is the most challenging aspect of leading Outdoor Afro?
RM: Knowing what parts to let go of. As women, we tend to want to do it all ourselves. We need to know what to delegate, what to ask help for, and what to manage yourself. There are challenges with that. You want to maintain a certain vision, but you have to trust others. I want to look at expansion, but I need to be more intentional about delegation. It can be OK for other people to do it in their own way.
ONW: Your organization has received a lot of recognition over the last few years and you have been recognized with many different awards. What does this mean for you and your organization?
RM: It’s so deeply humbling, because on the day-to-day, I’m just taking care of my kids and doing a job that is personally important to me. But to know it resonates with people in this very public way, it blows me away. I always feel it is much bigger than me. I hope I can inspire someone else to do more with their life. And to get outside.
ONW: Who is your inspiration?
RM: My parents really inspired me the most. They were very into conservation and outdoor ethics. Especially my dad, who was a do-it-yourself kind of dude. He built my first bed. He felt it was important to get out in nature; I feel the work I do now continues his work.
ONW: What are some strategies you use to balance your work life and personal life?
RM: I think it’s important to find something to do, that you do just for you, that has nothing to do with work. Recently, I’ve taken up salsa lessons. I get exercise, it’s fun and I’m not blogging or tweeting during it. It helps me feel grounded and not so worn out. I’m totally present during that time. When you’re a mom, it’s particularly important. Everyone should have an activity that is just for yourself.
ONW: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
RM: I was really inspired by reading Paul Coehlo’s novel, “By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept.” I read it at a time when I was looking for my way. There was a passage in there about a wasted life. Something along the lines of, “Everyone will look back and say, ‘what did I do with my days?’ ” I wanted to know that when I looked back on my life, I’d made a positive difference to the world, to my kids. I realized I wanted to live a life of purpose.
Rue Mapp on a river rafting trip
ONW: If you could have dinner with someone famous (past or present) who would it be and why?
RM: Sojourner Truth, because she is someone who came along at a pivotal time in our history, during slavery. She leveraged the technology of the day to advance the movement of abolition. She used photography. She was sending images to people thousands of miles away. It was the text messages of the day. She’d put together these calling cards with her photo and her message, called carte de visites. She sold them to raise money for her cause. She was a really savvy marketer and people don’t know that about her. If she was alive today, she’d totally get why social media is important today in spreading a message and promoting social change.
ONW: What is your favorite outdoor activity?
RM: I really enjoy white-water rafting. It’s not as easy as hiking or riding my bike, but it’s very much a family activity. The kids love it. Also kayaking. My family loves the water stuff.
Check out Outdoor Afro and see the fantastic work that Rue Mapp is doing. www.outdoorafro.com
Hilary Meyerson is the former editor of Outdoors NW magazine.
