Standing Strong: Backcountry Squatters’ Commitment to DEI

To our Beloved Backcountry Squatters community, 

The last two weeks left us spinning out… we have been trying to track how the new administration’s Executive Orders may affect our mission, programming, and members.  Individual Backcountry Squatters Board and Staff members are impacted by many of the new federal policy changes, both through our professional work and personal lives. We expect many of our chapter and broader community members are just trying to keep up and are also extremely concerned. 

While so much deserves attention (and many of our board and staff members are engaged on additional fronts), the Executive Order for Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing currently feels the most alarming to our mission.  Backcountry Squatters’ mission is to build an inclusive outdoor community by providing opportunities for leadership, personal growth, and professional development to women and non-binary people. We accomplish this through our chapters that offer events for community building, DEI education, and honing technical skills. 

Since founding the non-profit in 2018, Backcountry Squatters has required all board members to attend at least eight hours of DEI training. We have always had a line in our budget to pay experts for this training, and we’ve been lucky to increase that amount over time. In 2019, we signed “The Pledge” through the In Solidarity Project, committing ourselves to strive for a more diverse outdoor community and reporting on our progress. In 2020, we expanded our DEI requirement to include training for all our chapter leaders. We have since hosted four specialized training sessions with Dr. Thomas Rashad Easley, educating over 100 leaders on how to make the outdoor community a more accessible place for women, queer folks, people of color, and others who haven’t enjoyed fair access to nature’s rejuvenation.

This Executive Order does mark a significant policy shift by dismantling DEI programs across the federal government. However, it is critical to realize that it only restricts DEI programming in the federal government, overturning a requirement put in place during the Biden Administration. This order does not stop corporations or universities from remaining committed, even though recent headlines and lack of statements from other institutions may indicate otherwise. 

DEI education has always been and will continue to be mission-critical to Backcountry Squatters. This executive order does not prevent us from fighting to make the outdoor community more diverse and inclusive. At our most recent board meeting, we agreed that Backcountry Squatters would remain committed to our DEI programming  until we are forced to stop. 

Ultimately, Backcountry Squatters has become an institution. What started in a student union building in 2015 has grown into a national organization with members spanning from the Pacific to the Atlantic, through the Rockies, and growing in the Appalachians. We believe that institutions have an obligation to stand firm in order to protect members most affected by this administration’s recent changes. 

While we as an organization will be loud, we are in solidarity with members trying to lie low and not call too much attention to themselves. This is not possible for everyone, which compels us to stiffen our spines. But we will never fault our queer, non-domestic, or other frightened members who are trying to protect themselves against hateful attacks on their own pursuit of happiness. 

To any of our members who are looking for a place to turn, know that our board and staff members are always available to try to find ways to keep you safe. We are an email or DM away and will always be discrete. 

To our broader community members — our supporters and donors and university partners — those who have the privilege of being infuriated but personally unaffected. First and most importantly, consider if you’re in a position to ask your institution, organization, or business to recommit itself to supporting women, people of color, queer folks, immigrants, and other people who are being deliberately targeted. Should you be writing this letter instead of reading it? Supporting these diverse communities is not an “unfair preference,” nor should it be political. It is fighting to ensure everyone has an equal shot, given that our country’s founding and history have put people on unequal footing.  Second, you can always commit yourself to the work by supporting Backcountry Squatters so that we can continue to uplift our members and our community.  

We’re not backing down. We hope you aren’t either. 

~ With love and dedication ~

The Backcountry Squatters Nonprofit’s Board and Staff