Rhiane Fatinikun was a self-confessed fan of Netflix and raving when she spotted hikers getting off a train in the Peak District and, on the spur of the moment, decided to take up hiking! She set up the Black Girls Hike Instagram page and began leading groups of black women on hikes. Rhiane's mission now is to make the outdoors a safe and welcoming environment for people like her, breaking down barriers, broadening people’s horizons and empowering women to get outside their comfort zone.
THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY Adventurous Ink, the book club for outdoor folk. Life is too short not to fill it with adventure. An Adventurous Ink subscription will inspire more memorable experiences and help you reconnect with the natural world whilst you're out there. Each month you'll receive a new book or journal featuring writers, photographers and illustrators who really 'get' the great outdoors.
(If your company or organisation is interested in sponsoring Living Adventurously, please get in touch!)
(It’s completely free, zero hassle to do (click here), but very helpful for me. If you’re feeling extra kind, please leave a review on the app – that really helps.)
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn (“Alexa, please play the Living Adventurously podcast”) or on your favourite podcast platform such as Overcast, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Breaker, Soundcloud, Castbox, Castro.
Black Girls Hike is a safe space for black women to explore the countryside together
Not connected to the other BGH groups worldwide - just doing her own thing
Her idea of building a community came straight away - "This is great - you need to come!"
Delegating her 'baby' is hard. The other group leaders she met via Instagram. It felt natural to try to target the UK
I don't always want to be in the spotlight, just because I'm the founder. I'm just leading the spirit.
Safe space: you experience so much racism in the UK that you want to be around people who have the shared experience.
Good to go where people don't ask "stupid questions about your tan / hair" and everyone is in the same boat as you.
You can be your authentic self in a safe space.
In her work she senses people have lots of negative perceptions about black people from TV. She is always code-switching so as to not conform to the ideas they have about her.
Conversations in the hills - people are more focussed on their well-being. Positive energy.
BGH is a way to connect people. Friendships form.
Manchester is a transient city so this is place for people to form relationships.
A chance for people to be their best selves
Over 100 people came to the first hike in London
Most of them were new to the outdoors and had never really considered going hiking
99% of the time everyone is really happy to share the outdoors and see you enjoying what they are enjoying.
Marketing the outdoors to black people is not being done right.
The management of National Parks, brands etc are too white and cannot relate.
They want you to be involved but they don't want to include you in the decision making.
Need more than just having the odd black person in the marketing.
It's quite exhausting when people seek her opinion as representative of all black people.
The girls that come to the Black Girls Hike events do not come to the other ones that Rhiane organises - they want to be in that safe space
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Alastair Humphreys. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Alastair Humphreys och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
