Milwaukee kids get taste of the outdoors, learn lessons at Mississippi River camp
Djdade Denson never gets tired of hearing the oohs and aahs.
That’s the reaction of Milwaukee youth as they step off a coach bus and onto the lush greenery of the Blackhawk County Park campground in De Soto, near La Crosse.
As soon as the boys step off the bus, Denson is bombarded with questions like, "Where do we shower?" "How do we use the bathroom? and "How are we going to eat?"
His favorite reaction, though, comes at night, when the boys look up at a pitch-black sky studded with diamond-like stars. For many, it’s the first time seeing stars in an unadulterated night sky, sleeping in a tent outside or hiking through the woods.
For others, it’s the first time outside their Milwaukee neighborhood.
That’s the goal of the Camp “Xhongo” Peace Father, Son and Friends Retreat. Now in its 27th year, the camp provides a chance to escape inner-city life, practice restorative justice and just experience brotherhood across generations.
Each year, up to 150 men and boys from ages 7 to forever spend three days and two nights camping, hiking and canoeing on the banks of the Mississippi River.
“That’s what camp really is about. It’s about an experience once a year that’s different from what you experience all the time every year,” said Denson, the camp’s 27-year-old director and owner of Jaha Workshop, which oversees the camp.
Denson has been the camp director for the last two years but has attended the retreat that his father, Ron “Xhongo” Johnson, and others founded since it started in 1995.
Denson was 5 when his father took him to the first retreat. Originally named Camp "TJ" Peace after another founding member, Thomas Jackson, the retreat was later renamed for Johnson, who died two years ago.
The camp takes place Aug. 11-13. Organizers are fundraising to meet its $10,000 goal. A recent fundraiser put the group just above the halfway mark.
The camp is free, but the funds cover the cost of food, activities, camp fees and transportation. Most bring their own camping gear, but the camp provides a few extras for those who can't afford to buy their own.
The camp wants the kids to have a good experience but is looking for last-minute items like board games for the kids to play.
“We always need help on transportation," Denson said. "We always need water. Any in-kind donations help as well, like tents and sleeping bags."
Retreat inspired by Million Man March
The idea for the camp retreat came from the 1995 Million Man March. Denson’s father, Bradley Thurman and few others went to the Washington, D.C., event. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan issued a decree charging every man attending to do one positive thing to change his community.
Denson’s father came back to Milwaukee with a simple idea for himself and his friends — take their sons fishing for a day.
The first retreat started with just his father’s circle of friends and their children. But Denson said his father knew that, to have real impact, the community must be involved. The next year, the retreat was opened to any man wanting to transform the lives of young children.
The camp’s goal is not only to strengthen bonds between father and son but create better interactions among Black men, both young and old. Denson knows a man who has no children but brings a youth from his neighborhood every year.
“While you are at camp, every father is your father, and every son is your son,” he said. “We say that to really create that community environment.”
Those kinds of interactions dispel the negative stereotype of absent Black fathers. It’s important for young males to see Black men actively involved, engaged and caring about the younger generation, Denson said.
“It’s something different being surrounded by all males, where you don’t have to showboat," he said. "You don’t have to false-flag or be more than you actually are. You’re accepted at face value.”
Resolving conflicts through pushups instead of fists
The camp uses restorative justice circles to have candid conversations about manhood and life. The campers discuss healing from trauma, self-respect, conflict resolution “and how to deal with the pressures of society that’s put upon us in a positive way,” Denson said.
“We solve conflicts through pushups instead of fists and guns and swear words.”
In the end, the camp is about fun. The camp offers the usual suspects — bonfires, football, fishing, canoe races and chess tournaments. There's even an opportunity to bond while making pizzas.
“We're just really trying to get the kids active and engaged — give the kids something to do other than hear us talk all day,” Denson said. “Beyond that, we eat like kings.”
Midnight hike is a highlight of camp
A staple of the retreat is the midnight hike. A lot happens during that guided hike. Youth are taken to an open field and are asked to listen to their surroundings, the birds, the Mississippi and the animals. They star-gaze, watch meteor showers and learn how the Big Dipper guided those escaping slavery to freedom in the North.
“It really helps you understand your position in the universe,” Denson said.
The experience is transformational for youth, he said. Many return as mentors, showing others how to pitch a tent, build a campfire and explain there’s no profanity or use of the N-word. It illustrates how young men should live or interact with each other, he said.
But a long-term goal for the camp is to acquire land to have its own campground. With a permanent camp home, there could be longer themed retreats, year-round excursions or a winter camp.
A winter camp, Denson said, would offer a Matthew Henson experience. Henson was the first Black man to explore the North Pole, with an expedition helmed by Robert Edwin Peary in 1909. The camp would expose Black youth to skiing, winter fishing and snowboarding.
“We really want to expand camp … because we’ve seen the impact,” Denson said. “I wonder what we really could do if we had all the resources that we need.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee kids get a taste of the outdoors at Mississippi River camp
