About Page
WHO ARE WE?
We are a decolonial BIWOC-led outdoor collective and 501c3 reimagining an equitable and inclusive outdoors, for us by us founded by cultural organizer, Evelynn Escobar in 2017 in Los Angeles, CA.
We believe in the transformative power of healing in nature. We derive our positionality from the Black feminist visionaries behind the Combahee River Collective. To quote, βWe realize that the only people who care enough about us to work consistently for our liberation are us. Our politics evolve from a healthy love for ourselves, our sisters, and our community which allows us to continue our struggle and work.β When we create spaces through an intersectional lens that ensure safe access in the outdoors and care to Black and brown people, everyone benefits as a result.
OUR MISSION
We equip Black, Indigenous, and other racialized women, TGNC people with the tools, resources, education, and experiences they need to collectively heal in nature.
OUR STORY
The seed for Hike Clerb was planted in 2001 on a trip Evelynn took to visit her aunt in Los Angeles. Then, a 10-year-old Evelynn was introduced to the world of hiking and the city of LA as she took in the views atop the Griffith Observatory.Later she would relocate to the city as a full-time resident hiking the trails she had learned over the years and venturing out on bigger adventures. On her first National Park road trip to the Grand Canyon and Zion, she realized how homogenous and unnatural the lack of diversity in these nationally renowned public spaces was. As a Black and Indigenous woman, she deeply felt how her practice in nature opened up her healing journey and felt called to hold space for other Black and brown people to also reconnect with themselves through the lands in which they are extensions of.
This led her to connect the dots:
- Outdoor recreation as we know it is by design, beginning with the violent colonization of Turtle Island (modern-day North America).
- All marginalized communities share similar stories of displacement and forcible removal/exclusion from the lands we originate from.
- The nature gap (racial and economic disparities affecting access to the outdoors) disproportionately affects racialized communities.
As Seen In
Our Program Pillars
MOVING THROUGH NATURE (MTN)
Our signature monthly programming breaks down barriers to outdoor access with free and low-cost monthly hikes and unique recreational experiences in our base cities of Los Angeles and New York. This programming vertical provides an array of introductory recreational entry points to the outdoors. These communal moments grounded in movement and earth consciousness serve to empower our community with a diverse outdoor skillset.
HEALING THROUGH NATURE
Our wellness-focused vertical serves to improve the mental, physical, and spiritual health of our community, through experiences that highlight how nature is a catalyst for reconnecting with our inner healer and each other. Rooted in nurturing the minds, bodies, and spirits of the Hike Clerb community, these workshops and events aim to help the Clerb reconnect with ancestral wisdom and our true nature.
RESTORATION THROUGH NATURE
Our sustainability-focused events and workshops provide hands-on learning opportunities aimed at promoting stewardship within the greater Hike Clerb community. Through this programming vertical, we provide service opportunities to deepen our membersβ understanding of how their lifestyle impacts the planet and teach them environmentally conscious practices they can implement in their day-to-day lives.
OUR IMPACT
From a tiny community of just a few to a burgeoning IRL and digital club of over 45,000 we are creating a paradigm shift in the outdoors. To date, we have guided over 2200+ Black, Indigenous and other femme-identifying racialized people, led over 77 outdoor experiences, spent 471 hours healing together in nature, trekked over 250 miles, provided over 200 tools to our community, and have paid over 40 racialized people to lead, teach, document, and hold space for our community.
Your donation helps to ensure we have the resources to continue creating a paradigm shift in the outdoors through our free and low-cost community programs.
Meet the Team
Evelynn Escobar
Founder and Executive Director
Stephanie Sleiman
Creative Director
Raquel Tucker
Social Media Manager
Aimee Dopa
Lead Designer
Magdalena O'Neal
Culinary Director
Kayla Zwa
Project Manager