Black Women Explore fosters safe space for minorities to enjoy outdoor recreation in Akron

There are many things that came out of the pandemic, some bad and some good, with one of the latter being an Akron-based outdoor recreation group called Black Women Explore.

The organization does just what its name entails, exploring nature and new experiences with fem-identifying Black and Brown people.

Since Black Women Explore’s first hike on May 15, 2021, the group has gotten participants to hike and canoe as well as take skiing and yoga courses. This year event organizers hope to introduce participants to biking.

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Founders Kimberly Young, 42, and Bronlynn Thurman, 32, were familiar with one another after both served on various boards in the Akron community. Young and Thurman created Black Women Explore after the two began hiking together during the pandemic shutdown in 2020.

“I also think that the pandemic helped us strip away so much of the masks that we carry,” Thurman said. “So, with that you become much more of your authentic self or you begin to find out who you are beneath those masks that you layer on. And I think that within the masking, Kim and I really bonded and realized how similar we were which helped really develop that friendship.”

Thurman has been involved with outdoor reaction for more than a decade and has recently gotten into bouldering. Her wealth of experience in the outdoors was a crucial part of the organization’s success, according to Young.

Why Black Women Explore?

Both founders wanted to create a safe space for fem-identifying Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian individuals to create bonds and have new experiences together. Rachelle Yarbrough, 35, a long-term member, noted that organizations like Black Women Explore are an uncommon find.

According to Yarbrough, some companies understand the need for an environment with people who are similar and may have a women’s resource group or one for Black employees, but it’s rare that groups center themselves around being women of color.

“There’s certain things you can’t say and do in mixed company and then you get that opportunity to be not in mixed company – it’s really freeing and comforting to be able to be in a group of people where you feel like you can be yourself, express what’s going on in life and have that release,” she said.

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One of the group's more expressive releases was at the Top O' The World area at Hampton Hills Metro Park. Young and other participants were having a bad day, so when another member said she just needed a good scream, they all joined in — likely scaring whoever was behind them on the trail, Young admitted with a chuckle.

For Thurman, Black Women Explore is also an opportunity to combat the narrative that Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian people aren’t often present in the metro parks.

“We have a diverse group of women who show up to our hikes and for them to find a connection, even if it's just a connection of ‘Oh, we both have the same hairstylist,’” Young said. “They know someone and they feel like there is a sense of belonging and that community that can embrace them regardless of how they're feeling during the week…It's that safe space where we can enjoy nature and the beauty that's there and, as Bronlynn said, be representative of this awesome resource that we have available that we are not often reflected as taking advantage of.”

When are Black Women Explore hikes?

Since the organization began, upwards of 140 local members have joined its private Facebook group. Black Women Explore also has a private Instagram chat group for those who don’t use Facebook and plans to launch a newsletter to reach individuals who don’t have social media.

The number of attendees at hikes and events ranges from two to 15 —but no matter the expected number of people, Thurman and Young take their safety seriously. Young still recalls when she would hike alone, and made it a point to greet everyone she encountered — just in case she later went missing and witnesses of her trek on the trail were needed.

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The founders do not post where or when they will be hiking on public accounts, which are only used to upload photos with details of previous hikes.

Black Women Explore plans various forms of outdoor recreation year-round, with three meet-ups planned this months. They also share online and attend events hosted by other local organizations.

“We want to expose people to all of the different things with the hope that they will do it with their family, with their friends,” Young said.

From homebody to hiking enthusiast

The group has stirred a sense of adventure in Yarbourgh.

The Cuyahoga Falls mom had never been on a trail that wasn’t paved until she joined Black Women Explore on their first hike. The confidence she gained from the first two months with the group eventually spread into her personal life. In July, she took her husband and 4-year-old son on an unpaved trail in Munroe Falls Metro Parks for the first time.

“I am a little bit more paranoid outside and going on that first hike with them and being in the trees was like ‘This is not my area, this is not my zone,’" she recalls. “But being with a group of other Black women out there provides some comfort.”

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Now, Yarbrough is loath to miss an outing and has gone skiing and done yoga, two things she believes she never would have done if not for Black Women Explore.

“The group is really good at encouraging you to take that leap to overcome your fears,” she explained. “They’ve given me that confidence to be willing to try new things.”

It’s testimonials like Yarbrough's that make Thurman smile.

“I love stories like that,” the co-founder said. “Someone conquering their fear to go out and be present in these spaces, that tells me that we're doing something right, that we are on the right path.”

Next on Black Women Explore’s agenda

Young, who works as an anti-money-laundering compliance manager for USAA, moved to Charlotte, North Carolina for work six months ago.

While she was sad to leave Black Women Explore in Akron, the move has given the organization an opportunity to start a Charlotte chapter. Young said that multiple women have already showed interest in exploring outdoor recreation as a group in Charlotte.

Thurman’s hope for the future involves creating a sister organization or hosting special events for young girls and multiracial families. Both founders are also encouraging the men in their lives to create a similar group to Black Women Explore, but for Black men.

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With expansion in the founders’ sights, their true goal remains steadfast: Allow people of color to explore the outdoors, learn new skills and have new experiences in a safe, supportive environment.

“I would love to see us grow in the kind of outdoor rec educational space, like how are we making sure that people learn how to swim and we tap people into resources like more ski lessons,” Thurman said. “So, how do we add in more of that instructional side, even if we're not the ones that are teaching it, how do we add in more of those components to increase people's comfortability in these spaces?”

Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Twitter @TawneyBeans.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Black Women Explore creates safe space for fem-identifying minorities