CURATOR HIGHLIGHT : INTERVIEW WITH SASHA & TRACEE - PEOPLE OF COLOR DO CAMP !

Today we are highlighting two very special people. Tracee and Sasha are the LA based QUEER QUEEN couple who manifested and birthed  “POC Camp”. POC camp is a nature and camp driven movement for people of color. This is an organized camping experience created to dissolve the idea that hiking, camping and nature based activities aren’t for US.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sasha at the end of 2017. Sashas’ energy was majestic, and infectious. At the time, I knew her as the free spirited bud-fairy I followed on Instagram. As soon as we got to LA, I hit her up for some earthy souvenirs and met her at her shop. She was very informative and smiled when she talked. I recognized the light in her immediately, and her radiance stayed with me after we left. It’s no surprise at all that she (and her partner) have organized a safe space like this for people of color.

Within my community as a yoga instructor, I have been present when a person of color falls in love with yoga. I have also been present to hear that people of color think certain activities aren’t for them because there’s no representation. Sasha and Tracee are actively doing the work to change the narrative as their movement grows bigger and bigger. This is our last (but certainly not least) curator highlight of August. I hope you guys enjoy this interview, let’s do it !!

LadyFox - What was the exact moment "POC DO CAMP" was born ? - when you guys decided, this is what we're doing! Let’s set this up now.

“We'd say the exact moment POC Camp was born, was when we took to Instagram to ask people why they thought the stereotype that "black people don't camp" existed. In that same post, we asked other black and brown folks if they would be interested in joining us on a group camping trip if we organized it, and the answer was overwhelmingly YES. That was May of 2018. The post came after we had gone camping in Ojai, and got excited about seeing one other black person at our campground, since it's so unusual. That led to us having a conversation about why we see so few people of color camping, and why it seems to be - like most things - overwhelmingly white. When we realized that there were indeed other black and brown folks who were totally down to camp, and with us, we knew we had to go for it!”

LadyFox - Give me a little background on what this movement is all about ?

“This movement is about dispelling the myth that camping is a "white people thing". It's about reconnecting black and brown people to the land and allowing them the space to access the healing that is mother nature. It is to remind people of color that this Earth is ours and this is where we came from. It is to help people learn new skills, and grow others. It's about creating representation of black and brown people enjoying themselves and thriving in nature. POC Camp is about creating a safe and healing space where POC can breathe easier surrounded by nature and community.” 

LadyFox - What are some of the best memories you've experienced at your camps? 

“The best memories we've experienced at camp have been the times when people have really been brave, adventurous, and trusted us. The first POC Camp last October, we had people who had never flown OR camped before, that flew from Virginia, North Carolina, and Louisiana. When we were camping in Ojai, it rained practically the whole time - but we were all huddled up warm and cozy under a big tarp and we made it work. We took a rainy hike to a waterfall, and most recently we went practically off-roading on a single lane mountain road to get to a nature-made waterslide. These are memories we will never ever forget!” 

LadyFox - Are you guys pro campers or do you just wing it ?

“That's kinda hard to say.. there are so many different types of camping styles, but we wouldn't say we are "pro campers". We also definitely don't just wing it, though. We like to be prepared, we like to have what we need, and we like to be comfortable. We keep most of our camping gear in our car so we are ready to go at a moment's notice!”

LadyFox - What effects does creating something like this for the community have on you guys' relationship ? What is it like to do community work with your partner?

“It's definitely brought us closer. It's been amazing to be able to work with one another and witness each other's strengths. We balance each other out so well and it helps a lot in making our work relationship flow easily and without much effort. We both bring a lot of different - but similar - work experience to the table and I think the birth of POC Camp and other work we've been doing are beautiful examples of our skills being put to their best use. It's exciting and it's fun for us and it feels really good to focus on similar goals and see them come to fruition. It's also given our relationship more purpose. We've realized that our paths crossed for bigger reasons than just being together. We have work to do and we have gifts we want to offer up to the world. It's been a beautiful journey thus far and we are eager to see what the future holds for us.”

LadyFox - Why did you guys choose camping over any other activity ? 

“Camping has been something that we have done together as a couple the entirety of our relationship (nearly 6 years now)!  It has done so much for us individually, and as a couple. It's such a rejuvenating and healing activity, and we want to share that.” 

LadyFox- Are most of the people who attend strangers or people you've met before ? 

“The first one was mostly strangers, but the second and third was a pretty mixed group of folks we knew, and new people! As time goes on we are having people come back for a second or third time, and we are creating a family! It's been so beautiful to see folks connecting through POC Camp and forming relationships outside of the campgrounds. This is exactly what we could've hoped for.”

LadyFox - For those who can't attend, but want to help and give back, how can they do that ? 

Sharing about our mission (@poc_camp)

donating towards future trips:

Venmo - pocdocamp@gmail.com

Cashapp - $pocdocamp

LadyFox - Why do you think some people assume black people don't camp?

“We have first-hand experience with being the only black people camping and on hikes time and time again. We have both had experiences where we share with black peers that we are going camping, or we host a group camping trip - and many of them have said "Black people don't camp!" And we tell them.. yes, yes we do! When we initially brought up POC Camp on Instagram, we asked people why they thought black people didn't camp. One answer that stood out was the lack of safety for black folks in nature in the past. Fear passed down through generations. We also recently had a conversation with someone who works for the National Parks Service in which they mentioned the lack of representation of black and brown people in NPS media. You simply don't see black people camping. We're doing what we can to change this assumption, create representation, and bring black folks back to the land.” 

LadyFox - Last but not least, If you guys had one dream/major goal for "POC Camp", what would that look like?

“Our major goal is to get black and brown people outside and camping. Every time we have a trip and people show up, 18 people, 20 people, 25 people - we meet our goal. At this point, we feel like we've done it! We have seen people who have met at POC Camp get together afterwards and spend time with one another. And we're like.. "Damn. We did it. We got people outside and we've created community. We've created a community of people who love each other." And that's the dream. To keep doing what we're doing. Eventually, though, we would like to make this a nationwide movement and host camping trips outside of California! Perhaps we'd live in an RV with our cats and a dog and take this show on the road. 

are creating a family! It's been so beautiful to see folks connecting through POC Camp and forming relationships outside of the campgrounds. This is exactly what we could've hoped for.” 

I really enjoyed this series and I hope you guys did too ! Until next time.