• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Heart - Head - Hands logo

  • About
    • Commitments
  • Blog
    • Contemplative Practices
    • Emotional Literacies
    • Everyday Feminism
    • Higher Education
    • Interviews
    • Racial Justice
    • Recipes
    • Why Vegan?
  • Courses
  • Work with Me
    • Subscribe via Patreon
      • Patreon Q&A
    • Coaching
    • Courses
  • Publications
  • Contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

Appreciating Rahawa Haile’s “Going It Alone” for the Hiking-Justice Connection

Filed Under: Everyday Feminism, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee May 26, 2017 Leave a Comment

As someone interested in and impacted by the outdoors, hiking, human connection, harmful historical legacies, and ever-present white supremacy, I absolutely love and highly recommend Rahawa Haile’s article “Going It Alone”:

Screen Shot 2017-05-24 at 11.19.11 AM

Haile shares her experience through-hiking the Appalachian Trail as a queer black woman. Here are a few of my favorite lines:

  • “By the time I made it through Maryland, it was hard not to think of the Appalachian Trail as a 2,190-mile trek through Trump lawn signs.”
  • “Harriet Tubman is rarely celebrated as one of the most important outdoor figures in American ­history, despite traversing thousands of miles over the same mountains I walked this year.”
  • “There were days when the only thing that kept me going was knowing that each step was one toward progress, a boot to the granite face of white supremacy.”

In trying to figure out why this piece so deeply speaks to me, I realize how much I crave stories of hiking (like Amanda “Zuul” Jameson’s Brown Girl on the (P)CT and Garnette Cadogan’s “Walking While Black”) that challenge the assumptions of whiteness, walking as white activity, and the outdoors as white space.

I crave so deeply ways of re-seeing and relating differently with my childhood home in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Haile names places where I’ve spent much time and where I’ll be visiting again this summer: the Smokies and Shenandoah, Roan Mountain and Gatlinburg. These are places I feel within my body, both in the sense of heart expansion and heart ache. These are places I’ve fled and yet still seek again. These are places with deep legacies of racial, colonial, and other traumas that underwrite contemporary white nationalism.

Haile gives voice to the struggle of craving the expansive mountains, the blue ridges, and the relationship with birds and bears, while confronting Confederate flags, Trump signs, and stores selling blackface soap.

Haile gives voice to the differential risks, to the differently embodied realities, and to the significantly different threats that she (a queer black woman) and I (a straight white woman) face when walking in the woods.

Haile also gives voice to the need to keep going, to keep walking, and to keep writing. To put one’s “boot to the granite face of white supremacy.” Haile reminds me to commit yet again my body, my words, and my actions toward justice.

So, how do I “make actionable” a commitment to racial justice, especially as a hiker?

I certainly don’t have a full answer, but the work includes:

  • Intrapersonal work: ongoing reflexivity and introspection, especially toward noticing more, disrupting biases, and changing my own limiting self-talk;
  • Interpersonal work: writing, teaching, and interacting—with others and often in relationship—to raise awareness and to make change; and
  • Institutional work: channeling time, talents, and financial resources into organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center, Rethinking Schools, the YWCA, and America’s Black Holocaust Museum, which work for larger institutional change.

When I’m out on the trail, I’m engaged mostly in intrapersonal and interpersonal work—talking with myself, with hiking partners, and sometimes with others I meet along the trail. Part of why I love hiking is that it allows for long timespans that become more meditative, more contemplative as the body and the brain tire. I find that the more removed I am from my everyday habits and habitat, the more I can de-normalize damaging scripts that have become internalized. Like the meaning I find on my yoga mat, time on the trail is essential for healing, reorienting with gratitude, confronting my shadow self, and refueling my commitment to justice.

As I reflect on these components of making my commitment actionable, I’m thinking also about the ways my privileged positioning (e.g., as white, U.S.-born, cis-gender, able-bodied, economically secure) makes the trail a space of such possibility for me and for people who look, talk, and move like me. And this a reality—that outdoors spaces are made inaccessible and inhospitable for many people—makes the need for justice all-the-more urgent.

A case in point:

Last summer I had too little water at the trailhead for Big Schloss, a trail running a ridgeline between Virginia and West Virginia with outstanding views on clear days. My partner Jonathan and I thought there’d be water at the trailhead; yet, the well was dry. We asked others for water, and two white hikers returning to their cars emptied their bottles for us. I felt a sense of comradery with these other hikers, and I felt courage (surely from white privilege) in asking for help.

IMG_5439

I also was sure that if we couldn’t get water from fellow hikers, we couldn’t do this day hike (the closest gas station was miles away, so we’d spend our time driving instead of hiking). On the drive into Big Schloss, we’d passed many confederate flags (easily more than 10), and I couldn’t see myself knocking on any doors to ask for water. I remember feeling fairly vulnerable in this rural area.

And here’s what I want to remember and communicate more widely: my feeling of vulnerability arose from a trauma that’s shared, that’s part of the U.S. collective, yet is experienced so differently and with such potentially different consequences. As a white woman—especially when hiking in partnership with a white man—my concerns are primarily about emotional hurt. In contrast, hikers of color face the U.S. legacy of lynching (the hate crime of murder) that is part of America’s Black Holocaust that continues today through both microaggressions and macro-structures like unchecked police violence, the school-to-prison pipeline, the cycle of poverty, voter disenfranchisement, and many other institutional issues. Haile addresses how such legacies impact not only human interactions but also basic choices like how to protect one’s body from cold and wind and not be perceived as a threat/target of hate crimes.

My pain of traveling in the Appalachian Mountains, which are so in my blood, involves being re-traumatized with each confederate flag, each Trump sign, each park or trail name that celebrates “founding fathers” and other prominent figures who took part in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, forced Indian removal, colonization, genocide, and other atrocities. I think it’s important, though ever-painful, to take notice of such physical manifestations of ongoing dehumanization, especially as they show up in “the outdoors” or “the wilderness.”

Truly, all spaces are social constructed, so it’s important to keep asking: Whose stories do these spaces tell? Whose stories aren’t told? And why? What can be done toward recovery, retelling, and rewriting?

It’s important, too, to inquire into and take notice of the racialization of space and spatialization of race. As a white woman, this means asking about how my body works within spaces, especially along trails and the roadways that connect and supply trails.

Thank you Rahawa Haile for “Going It Alone”! This is an article I’m sure to come back to again and again. I so appreciate how it’s shaking up and shedding light on the connection between hiking and pursuing justice.

—
This post is written by Beth Godbee for Heart-Head-Hands.com. Please consider liking this blog on FB and following the blog via email. Thanks!

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket

Tagged with: #52essays2017, activism, commitments, embodiment, environmental justice, gratitude, healing, hiking, intersectionality, microaggressions, racial justice, reading, resistance, shadow, social justice, systemic oppression, understanding injustice, whiteness, writing

Support the Work

subscribe to posts:

Previous Post: « Disrupting the Mind-Body Split
Next Post: Choosing to Tread Another Path »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue Godbee (@SueGodbee)

    May 26, 2017 at 6:57 pm

    Nature observes all while being noncommittal. This is why all can appreciate it, its beauty and its violence. And this is a good stage to start our inward inspection…

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

About This Site

Embodied knowledge matters. So do commitments. And especially acting on commitments as part of everyday life, BIG and small. This website—a mix of blog posts and research writing, along with courses, writing groups, coaching, and other offerings—shares ongoing efforts toward everyday living (feeling, thinking, and doing) for justice.

Subscribe via Patreon

This button from Patreon says “Become a Patron” in white font against a bright orange background.

Subscribe to Newsletter

courses, webinars, and writing groups

This grid shows four colorful cacti (two above and two below) the event information (black font against white background): “Monthly Gathering Space: Recharge and Recommit. For details, see Heart-Head-Hands.com.”This e-course announcement shows a yellow sunflower and blue sky. It includes a textbox with the following information: “E-COURSE AVAILABLE NOW! Career Discernment for Academics: Aligning Career with Commitments. Self-paced study, exercises, coaching, and more ...”
This image shows writing tools (phone, keyboard, journal, pencil, and pen) along with the event information: “Online Writing Groups. Tues & Fri mornings. 10am EST | 9am CST | 8am MST | 7am PST. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”
This ad reads: “Time to write! Writing Retreats. Learn more @ Heart-Head-Hands.com.” A white coffee mug and table appear in the foreground, with golden chairs and walls in the background.Along with showing 4 emoticons representing different emotions, this flyer reads, “40-Day Practice: Strengthening Emotional Stamina to Counter White Fragility. Self-Practice Available Now. Register for Next Community Practice: Oct. 1 — Nov. 10, 2020. Heart-Head-Hands.com.” A white background is framed by a blue border with yellow and red emoticons.

Categories

  • Contemplative Practices (46)
  • Emotional Literacies (65)
  • Everyday Feminism (72)
  • Higher Education (35)
  • Interviews (6)
  • Racial Justice (51)
  • Recipes (19)
  • Why Vegan? (11)

Footer

bethgodbee

#Repost @mvmnt4blklives with @make_repost
・・・
Together, we defeated a man who refused to denounce white supremacy, enabled hateful rhetoric, and encouraged violent actions toward Black people. We are very thankful for the millions who mobilized and the organizers who coordinated a historic win and attentive to the fact that racist systems are still in place. White supremacy is still rampant in this nation's legislature, the core of policing, and in our human services that remain inequitable for those most marginalized. 

The Biden administration has to take action in the first 100 days to address our communities' needs. They must put the people first amid the pandemic, end the war on Black trans, gender non-conforming, and intersex people, and defund the police. The actions taken will set forth the path for the next four years and have a significant impact on Black people's lives.
#Repost @charisbooksandmore with @make_repost
・・・
Today’s Pre-Orders are centered around social justice! From Intersectionality, Prison Abolition, to ACT UP! These books are full of history and steps toward a more just world. 
_______________
1. The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs (@annastea_honesty) Publisher: @flatiron_books On Sale: February 2nd, 2021 Event: 2/10
2. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi (@ibramxk) and Keisha N. Blain (@keishanblain) Publisher: @oneworldbooks On Sale: February 2nd, 2021
3. Change Everything: Racial Capitalism and the Case for Abolition by Ruth Wilson Gilmore Publisher: @haymarketbooks On Sale: February 2nd, 2021
4. #sayhername: Black Women's Stories of State Violence and Public Silence edited by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@kimberlecrenshaw), African American Policy Forum (@aapolicyforum), Foreword by Janelle Mońae (@janellemonae) Publisher: @haymarketbooks On Sale: February 16th, 2021
5. We Do This Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba Publisher: @haymarketbooks On Sale: February 23rd, 2021
6. Abolition. Feminism. Now by Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, and Erica Meiners Publisher: @haymarketbooks On Sale: March 2nd, 2021
7. Our Work Is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose (@syanrose) Publisher: @arsenalpulp On Sale: April 6th, 2021
8. Holding Change: The Way of Emergent Strategy Facilitation and Mediation by adrienne maree brown (@adriennemareebrown) Publisher: @akpressdistro On Sale: April 6th, 2021
9. We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell (@tracisorell), illustrated by Frane Lessac (@franelessac) Publisher: @charlesbridgepublishing On Sale: April 20th, 2021
10. Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman (@schulmanny) Publisher: @fsgbooks On Sale: May 18th, 2021
11. Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women's Digital Resistance by Moya Bailey (@transformisogynoir) Publisher: @nyupress On Sale: May 25th, 2021 Event: 5/25
#Repost @blklivesmatter with @make_repost
・・・
Join Black Lives Matter and Clergy 4 Black Lives for a #RadicalKing Twitter Storm on Monday, January 18, 2021, from 12-1pm PST. 

Access the toolkit at:
tinyurl.com/RadicalKingTwitterStorm 
#MLKDay
#Repost @thebodyisnotanapology with @make_repost
・・・
Instagram took down our repost of this quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., posted ON MLK’s birthday, for being “hate speech”. If that doesn’t prove the enduring virulence of white supremacy that Dr. King lost his life as a result of, we don’t know what does... well, that or the Capitol coup!! Reposting again, because fighting for liberation against #BodyTerrorism will never be equivalent to enacting oppression.
.
.
[image description: quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. in black and red on a white background. The quote reads, “Whites, it must be frankly said, are not putting in a similar mass effort to re-educate themselves out of their racial ignorance. It is an aspect of their sense of superiority that the white people of America believe they have so little to learn.”]
.
.
#TheBodyIsNotAnApology #TBINAA #RadicalSelfLove #Whiteness #BodyTerrorism
#Repost @thebodyisnotanapology with @make_repost
・・・
Posted @withregram • @privtoprog 🗣 @jemelehill ➡️ Yesterday, @michellesaahene and I (@thewildsister) recorded an interview for @nbaontnt with the incredible disruptor @carichampion (Thank you, Cari!). We talked about the calls for unity. And as I said on that interview, and will repeat as long as it takes, there can be no unity without acknowledgment, understanding, and intentional action to remake our systems that were built on white supremacy. That’s a foundational human concept—in personal relationships and in society, no problems are ever corrected without doing the work to repair the wrongs. #ShowUp 

PS the show airs Monday on @nbaontnt! 
.
.
[image description: tweet by Jemele Hill on an orange background that reads, “When pretty much every American institution has deep, racist histories that were never adequately addressed, and allowed to persist, this is what you get. This idea that racism was simply going to fade with time without any real work done always was woefully naive.”]
.
.
#TheBodyIsNotAnApology #TBINAA #RadicalSelfLove #Whiteness #BodyTerrorism
Load More... Follow on Instagram

About Beth Godbee

I'm an educator and former college professor who believes our fully embodied selves matter in the world. We can’t just think our way out of the incredible injustices, dehumanization, violence, and wrongdoing that characterize everyday life. We must feel and act, too. [Pronouns: she/her.] Read more ...

This image shows books alongside the words: courses, coaching, consulting. learning + unlearning.

Copyright © 2021