In this episode, I interview Gerry James, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All Campaign. Gerry describes his upbringing as a military brat that fostered a love of the outdoors and environmental protection, and discusses challenges he has faced as a Black man recreating outdoors. He outlines efforts to close the nature equity gap through youth programs, transit access to nature, and partnerships that train students as Sierra Club outings leaders, connecting outings to advocacy. Much of the conversation focuses on the Trump administration’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity” executive order and resulting attempts to remove or sanitize historical and climate-related interpretation on public lands, such as Philadelphia’s President’s House slavery exhibit and its restoration after a city lawsuit. Gerry details Sierra Club organizing, public records requests, coalition-building with historians, and planned actions to protect inclusive public history.

02:31 Military Brat Roots

04:10 Learning Black History

05:13 Racism Outdoors

07:51 Outdoor Equity Renaissance

09:06 HBCUs Outside Partnership

11:19 Outings To Advocacy

14:38 Skiing And Youth Trips

16:51 Outdoors For All Campaign

18:51 Fighting History Whitewashing

21:50 Organizing And Records Requests

24:31 Philly Rally And Win

31:02 Resistance Rangers Network

32:04 Whitewashing Civil Rights

33:52 Tribal History Under Fire

34:46 Lawsuit And Truth Debate

36:59 Interpreting History

39:09 Climate Science Attacks

41:25 Sustainability And Comments

43:27 Coalitions And Day Of Action

47:20 Save Our Signs And Juneteenth

52:44 Black State Parks Legacy

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