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David is a Mexican-American writer living in Utah. He serves on the Salt Lake County Mountain Search & Rescue team and enjoys exploring the Wasatch Mountains on foot and bike with his family
His writing focuses on justice and diversity in natural spaces, deconstructing and fighting against racism in the outdoors, recreational guides for families, and gear reviews.
Becoming a mountain biker meant occupying a one-size-fits-all identity. It was difficult. If you are brown or different in any way from the white, male, able bodied athletes promoted by major brands, your task is to assimilate.
An immigrant’s perspective on how to make the outdoors feel safer and more accessible.
I often get asked why people who look like me don’t spend more time in nature. It seems like such an innocent question, but it reminds me of the times that I have felt unwelcome in the outdoors. As an educator who believes in the importance of teaching others, here are five ways to become a better ally to hikers of color.
If there is one thing we’ve learned in the past few weeks, it’s that rapid social change is possible. Of course, would any of the recent social changes we’ve witnessed have been possible if George Floyd wasn’t murdered slowly by police while being recorded by multiple bystanders? That’s a hard question. Eight minutes and forty-six seconds is a long time, America.
Four things you can do to respond to racism wherever it exists: at the grocery store, local crag, trailhead and beyond.
After talking to other BIPOC mountain cyclists, I found that I was not alone. Whether they ride for leisure, for sport, or competitively, we all share the struggle of staying physically and mentally conditioned during the off season […] So here’s a collection of workouts, practices, and experiences that I gathered from BIPOC mountain cyclists all around the country.
Taking your baby hiking is NOT the worst thing in the world!
It’s not even close!
Culture, or, as I grew up calling it, cultura, embodies two main things: a group’s way of thinking and how others perceive it. As a Mexican-American cyclist whose childhood stretched between Mexico and Utah, I’ve thought a lot about how I fit into both.
Color the Wasatch is an affinity group that works to remove financial and social barriers for climbers of color in the Salt Lake City area.