Hikers with the Alabama chapter of Outdoorsy Black Women pose for a photo before a hike up Red Mountain Park on June 5, 2022.

Outdoorsy Black Women, a social network for Black women who enjoy nature and the outdoors, has inked a brand partnership with outdoor retail giant REI.

The group has signed on to join REI’s Inclusion Partnerships Network. Through the network, the retailer builds partnerships with organizations and leaders working to create a more diverse community for outdoor leisure and adventure. Organizations in the network include Black Girls RUN!, LatinXHikers, and The Venture Out Project. REI and the nonprofit organization Outdoor Afro have also collaborated on a line of hiking gear which debuted earlier this month.

Through the brand partnership, Outdoorsy Black Women and REI will share and promote content, such as photos and videos, on social media. Outdoorsy Black Women has also agreed to promote REI through its app, and REI will supply merchandise and staff for the organization’s events, as well as provide funds for travel.

Valese Jones, a Birmingham native and University of Alabama alum who manages publicity and branding for Outdoorsy Black Women, says the network created the terms of the partnership contract.

“The only thing (REI) did was say ‘These are the things we want from you.’ But, in terms of what we were going to offer them, we pretty much came up with the things that we were going to include them in,” said Jones. “So they are covering things for us like travel expenses, money for us to do content creation, giveaways and gear.”

Jones has worked with Toyin Ajayi, the founder of Outdoorsy Black Women, since 2019.

In June 2020, Ajayi, who is based in Georgia, started her transition to nomadic life, opting to give up her permanent residence to live out of an RV and travel full-time.

“So as I decided to do that, I recognized that I kind of wanted to commune and find other like-minded Black women,” said Ajayi.

Ajayi and Jones worked together to launch Black Women Camp, a group inspired by Ajayi’s desire to connect with Black women who enjoy camping as well as RV, van, and nomadic life. The network, which launched that summer, was primarily based in a Facebook group.

Ajayi didn’t develop the group solely for social networking. She also created the group to help other Black female campers feel safe.

“During that time, it was right before the election. More and more Black campers and more and more Black van lifers were feeling unsafe going to different campgrounds,” said Ajayi.

“There were stories of Black campers being harassed at different campgrounds. So a lot of us started turning to social media and asking ‘Where is it safe to go camping? Where is it safe to go spend time outdoors?’ And what I noticed was, as Black women were asking these questions in groups, people were gaslighting us. People were saying ‘It’s nothing different than what it is to be a woman outdoors’ or ‘Why does it have to be about race?’”

Ajayi recognized the need for Black women to have their own private spaces to talk about concerns they had when traveling outdoors.

“I recognized it was more than just Black women that were camping who needed a safe space,” said Ajayi.

That’s where Outdoorsy Black Women came into the picture.

In November 2020, Ajayi and Jones folded Black Women Camp into the wider umbrella of Outdoorsy Black Women― a network for Black cisgender women, transgender women, and non-binary people to connect through outdoor activities such as hiking, beekeeping, gardening, and hunting.

Instead of Facebook, members of Outdoorsy Black Women communicate primarily through the dashboard on the network’s website, as well as the free app. Joining the Outdoorsy Black Women is free, and members have access to shop for merchandise, as well as the network’s book club. Members can also participate in discussion forums, take quizzes, and plan events, such as group hikes. The Outdoorsy Black Women blog has articles with advice about nature and outdoor activities, including preparing for van life, fishing, and Black-owned farms.

Outdoorsy Black Women has chapters in more than 10 states, including Alabama. Each chapter is led by an ambassador.

Lakeitha Clark, the ambassador for the Alabama Chapter of Outdoorsy Black Women (left) and Toyin Ajayi (right) hold up a banner before a hike up Red Mountain Park in Birmingham. (Shauna Stuart| AL.com)

Last November, after months of conversations, Ajayi and Jones started working with REI on event partnerships with Outdoorsy Black Women— the retailer supplied the group with either money or equipment for events such as demonstrations or nature walks.

This year, REI sponsored Outdoorsy Black Women’s biggest event to date: the inaugural Wine and Waterfalls, an all inclusive outdoor retreat with options for traditional tent camping or the more luxurious “glamping.” For three days and two nights, attendees dined, hiked, and attended bonding sessions such as yoga classes and movie nights.

As part of the sponsorship, staff from REI were also on hand to teach two sessions: one about how to pitch a tent and another about how to safely start a fire.

“A lot of the women we attract are first time campers for wine and waterfalls. So it’s important to have knowledgeable people out there with us,” said Jones.

Jones says REI has signed on to sponsor Wine and Waterfalls again next year. The new diversity partnership means REI will also provide ongoing support for events such as hikes, happy hours, and classes, as well as the Outdoorsy Black Women app.

The brand deal, says Jones, is an elevation from their previous partnership, which was mostly centered on activities.

“They decided to take us to the corporate level,” said Jones. “So, it’s just an overall partnership that has the potential to grow throughout the years.”

Hikers walk Red Mountain Park in Birmingham with the Alabama Chapter of Outdoorsy Black Women (Shauna Stuart|Al.com)

Over the years, REI has been open about its intentions to create a more inclusive environment in the outdoor leisure and retail industry. In 2018, the company released a detailed description about its initiatives, including a new role that would consult across the retailer’s divisions on topics of diversity, equity and inclusion. In 2020, amid the nation-wide protests for social justice, REI released a statement committing to the fight for social equity. A year later, the company reasserted its commitment to racial equity by pledging to become a fully inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural organization.

Jones says, so far, REI has followed through on its promises to help create a more inclusive outdoor industry.

“They were doing this before it was the thing to do. They have diversity partners that they’ve been with for years. So, it wasn’t like they just started their diversity initiatives.”

“I love working with them because they are real allies. They’re not those allies that don’t listen to you and don’t hear you. We can talk to them about real things, like why we don’t share the location of our hikes publicly,” said Jones. “We don’t share them until a few days before (the hikes) because some people will feel a type of way because it’s just a group of Black women. And that could put us in harm’s way.”

With the new partnership, Jones is looking forward to continuing to expand Outdoorsy Black Women to more cities. The network has added eight more chapters since July, including two chapters in New York— one in upstate and one in New York City. Last month, the chapter hosted a hike in Central Park. Outdoorsy Black Women has also added chapters in Greensboro, N.C., Phoenix. Los Angeles, Chicago, Colorado, and Jacksonville, Fla.

Wine and Waterfalls, Outdoorsy Black Women’s crown jewel event, will return next May for its second year. Tickets go on sale in October.

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