Diversify Our Parks
Throughout the years of visiting our National Parks, we have had the times of our lives!
Whether if we were crawling through the depths of the biggest known caves in the world, swimming in the water between the Channel Islands, or running through sacred dunes, we truly celebrated what the National Parks have been able to give to us.
The more we explored the Parks, the more we noticed the faces of the people that visited the Parks alongside us. We didn't see a demographic that seemed to represent what our country actually looks like.
While the National Park Service (NPS) turned 100 last year, African Americans still represent only about seven percent of park visitors. In comparison, they make up thirteen percent of the national population. Latinos, Native Americans, and other non-white visitors are similarly underrepresented. The rest—some 78 percent—are white. NPS employees are 83% white.
Visitation figures are skewed even further when the visits in question are to parks that showcase more wilderness and outdoor recreation. A visitation survey done in Yosemite National Park showed that African Americans totaled just 1 percent of visitors, compared to 77 percent white and 11 percent each for Hispanics and Asians.
Our mission at National Parks Pro and National Parks Explorer is to diversify our Parks through spreading awareness, education, and community outreach. We're focused on connecting to more diverse audiences and creating content with this audience in mind.
Women and the National Parks -
Women have been an instrumental part of the Park's history and have long had their achievements ignored. Read more about how the tough, gritty women of the past have paved the trail for the current women of the outdoors. Learn More
Native American History in the National Parks -
The Park's existence alone has directly related to the dispossession of Native American land throughout the United States. There was a clear system for this that we will go into further detail about here. Read More...
Black History in the National Parks -
Black History is rich in the National Parks and is seldom recognized. We aim to educate the community about the vibrant history and get park attendance up for this demographic. Read More...
Latino History in the National Parks -
There are so many contributions the Latino community has made to the National Parks over the years. Learn more about this community here.
Asian History in the National Parks -
While the Asian community is well-represented at the Parks, most are not Asian-American and little of the Asian American history is discussed when focused on the National Parks. Learn more about these contributions here.
LGBTQ History in the National Parks -
The LGBTQ Community is becoming more and more represented at the National Parks, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Learn more about these contributions here.
We own this land together - all 84 million acres so make sure to do your part to diversify our Parks!