Whereas Outdoor Afro started as a blog about nature in 2009 and has grown into a cutting-edge nationwide network with volunteer leaders in 30 States, guiding hundreds of outdoor events each year based on a simple mission to celebrate and inspire African-American connections to nature through recreational activities like camping, hiking, birding, fishing, gardening, skiing, and more; Whereas, in the past 10 years, Outdoor Afro, a national nonprofit organization, has cultivated and trained more than 200 outdoor leaders, leading thousands of outdoor events, and reaching well over 150,000 participants; Whereas Outdoor Afro has disrupted the false perception that African Americans do not have a relationship with nature and is inspiring access to the most pristine nature as well as urban nature, including local parks, trails, and open spaces; Whereas Outdoor Afro not only promotes a healthy lifestyle, it also helps communities find healing, connect to Black history found in many natural areas, and inspires an increased desire to protect vulnerable public lands for all to enjoy; Whereas Outdoor Afro has shifted the visual representation of who can connect with and lead in the outdoors by offering activities such as hiking, biking, camping, environmental education, conservation stewardship, and more; Whereas Outdoor Afro held its first international expedition in 2018 to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which was widely covered in the media; Whereas Outdoor Afro is engaging millions of people through digital outreach by reaching 50,000 people per day and is changing the narrative of who engages in the outdoors by posting thousands of photos and stories; Whereas Outdoor Afro’s growing network mostly comprises college-educated, civically engaged men and women, many who plan and act on behalf of children and senior community members, thereby restoring African-American leadership in nature back to the home