How the Landscape Does Its Quiet Work
Landscapes are not just scenery. They are places where people learn skills, traditions, and a kind of hospitality that can last across generations.
Author Archives: Rue Mapp
Rue Mapp is the founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, a nonprofit that celebrates and inspires Black leadership in nature. From her hometown of Oakland, Rue started Outdoor Afro as a blog in 2009, growing it to an organization in more than 70 U.S. cities that connects people through hikes, conservation, and the outdoors rooted in joy, culture, and belonging. Rue has been recognized with the Heinz Award and in Oprah’s Book Club for her book Nature Swagger.
Rue Mapp on Doubling Down on Black Joy in Nature
"The story of Outdoor Afro really begins, for me, in my own family."
