Posts in Danielle Williams

Don Nguyen & Climbers of Color Are Closing the Mountaineering Gap

Nguyen is frank about his observations of the guiding industry. It looks like “rich old white dudes in charge of a younger set of rich white dudes in charge of a poor set of white dudes.” His goal is to change that.

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsJuly 30, 2018Climbers of Color, Mountaineering, storytelling, Asian American, Asian Climbers, climbing, Asian, #diversifyyourfeed, Outdoor IndustryComment

Hey Brown Girl, Get Paid

Today we’re challenging the widespread assumption that People of Color should do outdoor diversity, equity and inclusion work for free—just because it’s an important social cause. It is important. And we’re still charging.

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsJuly 25, 2018#diversifyoutdoors, Sponsorship, Brands, Outdoor Industry, Freelancer Comments

No, Where Are You Really From? Women of Color In Skydiving Speak, Pt 2

‘No where are you really from’ is a familiar question for Women of Color who are constantly asked to either prove our American-ness or explain our Other-ness when we really just want to sit-fly.

Nadia Mercado, Danielle Williams, Caroline HsuJean Nguyen, Caroline Hsu, Nadia Mercado, Dr. Swati Varshney, Danielle Williams April 24, 2018Mentorship, Strong Women, Skydiving, Women of Color, Skydive, Racism, Sexism, Colorism, Sexual harassment, Asian, Black Comments

No, Where Are You Really From? Women of Color in Skydiving Speak, Pt I

“We are not asking for it and women shouldn’t be expected to smile and silently put up with this harassment so we can be part of the skydiving community.”

Skydiving as a Woman of Color

Team Blackstar gave me the freedom to stop pretending I don't notice when I'm the only person of color at my drop-zone. Yes we see color. And we realize the lack of diversity isn't a neutral thing.

Grief, Trauma and Loss in the Outdoors

Then there’s the one time I used duct tape, super glue, and butterfly sutures to close a friend's eyebrow that was split from the mid-line to the corner of his eye.

Send It! Your Guide to Adventure Sports

Part of what makes shared culture in outdoor recreation so great is the shared vocabulary. However, having to learn an entirely new lexicon can be off putting or intimidating to newcomers. Get a head start with our deep dive into adventure sports lingo.

#ProjectDiversify

Are you a Woman of Color who loves the Outdoors? Want to be featured in a video project that's all about your goals and accomplishments? Melanin Base Camp is teaming up with Brown Girls Climb on Project Diversify Outdoors to highlight the accomplishments of Women of Color in the Outdoors.

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsDecember 6, 2017Project Diversify, Outdoors, Climbing, Hiking, Representation, Kayaking, Strong Women, Skydiving, Adventure, Women of Color, Outdoor IndustryComment

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

All around me under a moonless sky human drama unfolded. Careers were saved or lost on the dark road. I kept running

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsNovember 22, 2017humor, darkness, running, failure, military, wilderness, Army, ROTC, college, drama, land navigation, Anxiety, ResilienceComment

Learning to Fly - A Black Woman's Introduction to Skydiving

I started skydiving six years ago. I had recently returned from a combat deployment in Iraq and had fallen back into the sleepy routine of life in Kentucky. Beer, bourbon and BBQ and usually in that order. Life was good but I missed the thrill of being stuck on the side of the road in Iraq with one trailer ablaze and another with smoking brake lines--at night with the threat of IEDs and election violence weighing like lead in my stomach.

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsOctober 20, 2017Skydiving, Adventure, Skydive, Skydiver, Disabled, LearningComment

MELANIN BASE CAMP

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