DEIJ Reading List
photo by Orenda Randuch
1. Nature Swagger by Rue Mapp
This book of photography and stories from the founder of Outdoor Afro, Rue Mapp, centers Black joy in nature. Mapp offers essays throughout the book alongside contributions from Outdoor Afro group members and other Black leaders in the outdoors. This is a powerful and joyful collection that affirms the many ways that Black communities connect with the natural world. Learn more about this book.
2. A Darker Wilderness by Erin Sharkey
This new collection of essays finds writers contemplating archival objects—from a 1795 farmer’s almanac, to a civil rights protest photograph of a young woman in Alabama—to reflect upon the relationship between Blackness and nature within the United States. This book is an exciting addition to the field of nature writing. Learn more about this book.
Climate Justice: Black And Native Attention As Miracle, a beautiful magazine from Loam publishing, features the work of Black, Native, and Afro-Indigenous contributors that explore movements for Black Liberation and Indigenous Sovereignty. This immersive publication which includes photos, essays and more, offers guidance on how to reimagine our relationships to the world around us and organize in the midst of the devastating impacts of climate change. Learn more about this publication.
4. Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors by Carolyn Finney
In this book, Finney examines access to the “great outdoors” and the realities of racial violence that shaped where we are today. From the legacies of slavery to Jim Crow, Finney points to current and historical moments that have helped to determine who has access to nature, outdoor recreation, and environmentalism. In addition to looking to the past, Finney highlights the ways that African American leaders are breaking down barriers to access and changing the face of environmental and conservation movements today. Learn more about this book.
5. Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage by Dianne Glave
In this book, Glave unearths African Americans’ rich environmental heritage. Glave disrupts stereotypes about the Black experience by pointing to Black naturalists of the past and the unique ways that Black people have shaped the environmental movement. Throughout history, African Americans have cultivated deep knowledge, skills, and relationships with their natural settings. Glave uplifts a deep environmental heritage that is often overlooked by history, one that is critical to understand as we look toward the future of conservation and what has shaped this field. Learn more about this book.
6. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer weaves together her training as a botanist and her experiences as an Indigenous scientist and woman. In the book Kimmerer sheds light on the idea that humans are in reciprocal relationships with plants, animals, and the natural world—and that this understanding is crucial for a wider ecological consciousness. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer reveals the ways that Indigenous wisdom informs her own scientific endeavors and how it can help us better understand the world around us. An adapted version for young adults was released in 2022. Learn more about this book.
7. The Adventure Gap by James Mills
This book tells the story of the first all-Black expedition up Mount Denali, America’s highest mountain. The book profiles stories of Black adventurers that history has missed—those whose stories may not have been told, but who have led the way. This book affirms that we need outdoor histories that reflect the diversity of the world we live in. While the white men’s perspectives have dominated the American history of adventure; there are many, many others who have forged adventures and have amazing stories waiting to be told. Learn more about this book.
8. We Are Not Animals: Indigenous Politics of Survival, Rebellion, and Reconstitution in Nineteenth-Century California by Martin Rizzo-Martinez
The book does justice to the story of indigenous people in the Santa Cruz region by centering the narrative around indigenous stories and accounts from the Mission, Mexican, and early Californian periods. It is a story of survival and resilience of a people during a time of violent suffering and loss—a story that all Californians should learn and know. The foreword is by Amah Mutsun Tribal Chair Valentin Lopez. Read more about this book.
9. The Rise of the American Conservation Movement by Dr. Dorceta Taylor
This book is a must-read for anyone working in conservation. Dr. Taylor provides an in-depth analysis of the history of the American conservation movement and examines how race, class, gender, and privilege have shaped the past and where we are today. From the development of national parks to campaigns aimed to protect coast redwoods, Dr. Taylor points to how history can help us think through current issues around access and power in the conservation movement. Read more about this book.
More to Explore
- Read about Our Commitment to Diversity Inclusion Equity and Justice
- Learn more about our approach to Nature For All.
- Learn more about how redwoods benefit our health and the importance of access to these spaces.