The Unpopular Black

The Unpopular Black Encouraging adventures beyond the stereotypes and excuses of what "Black Folks don't do".

02/19/2026

Genevive Walker. I bumped into in Denver pre-COVID at a Black outdoor meetup I co-hosted. She was the first Black woman climber I had met IRL. From afar she's low-key but you know she's powerful. Up close her aura envelopes you. Genevive is a professional climber and guide who lives to be outside. How did watching this make you feel?

This is a teaser of her episode I directed and produced with as cinematographer for my docu-series We Been Out Here. It's a cinematic series to show and share the legacy and presence of Black folks in the American outdoors. It'll air in Spring through my YouTube channel. Please go subscribe to that in my bio.

*Please like and share this to your community. This series is my love letter to this community and beyond.

Knowing and sharing our stories is a revolutionary act in a society that needs us to forget who we are and what all we'r...
02/18/2026

Knowing and sharing our stories is a revolutionary act in a society that needs us to forget who we are and what all we're capable of.
I was initially bummed to only find 4 Black Americans who were pioneers in rock climbing before it became more accessible in 2010's. I KNOW we were out there whether our photos were taken or our stories were told.
Instagram loves to shadow ban and erase in the name of the algorithm. Share this. Follow and share the people tagged in this post AND the others from my other posts about our history in the outdoors. Then share their posts. We are the keepers of our stories and therefore our history.

02/16/2026

Doing this week of Black history in rock climbing in reverse. This is a small list of Black American climbers who are doing great things for the community and visibility. Please tag any current Black American climbers who belong on this list and/ or DM me names and photos of those who were climbing before 1999.

If you have stories but no photos, please still share them in the comments. We need to know our stories.

The Unpopular Black focuses on the American outdoors because of Black history in it. This work is to shift the narratives around our connection to it. I acknowledge the Black diaspora around the world and the countless accomplishments made outdoors.

I will always honor and acknowledge, even if I don’t post because of this.

02/12/2026

My first experience surfing was Juneteenth 2020 at paddle out. It was beautiful. I witnessed how THICK and connected the Black and brown surf community was. Almost every org and person on this list was there to welcome and support those who were coming for our first time and to fellowship with each other. It was such a special day. This is only a very small portion of Black American surfers amongst the growing group not only stateside but literally all over the world. The Black diaspora is really becoming prominent in surfing, in my eyes.

I've taken lessons with and highly recommend them. I know most of these orgs give private, group, or community lessons. Next time you're in the LA, San Diego, Santa Cruz area or even NYC, get some surf lessons and try it out.

Tag anyone I missed who deserves to be acknowledged for their existence in the ocean. Black people existing outside joyfully is literally am act of resistance against who we've been told we are.

02/10/2026

showed us that there’s documentation of Africans surfing as far back as 1640’s. That’s incredible. As my work is bruising the happy between the Black community and the American outdoors, this week I’m sharing Black American history of surfing.

There’s so much more than what’s happening here though. Black folks are surfing globally. It’s so beautiful.

Let me know if I forgot anytime who was surfing in the 1900's (😂 hilarious to say it like that.) Some of who I mention tomorrow been surfing YEARS but I don't think 26 years. We'll see. Tag em.

PLEASE go watch Wade in the Water and support part 2.

02/05/2026

I can’t remember how or where I first heard about Erick retracing the route of the Underground Railroad, from New Orleans to Canada. It stirred something in me at a foundational level though. I later saw he also retraced the path of the Buffalo Soldiers bicycle corps from Montana to St. Louis. An accomplishment every Black person should know in some form but probably very few are familiar with.

Since starting this work in 2018, I knew a big part of shifting this narrative came from making sure we KNOW the ways we’re outside currently but more importantly that we really been out here.

This is the first public teaser for my docu-series We Been Out Here. I started a podcast on 2022 with this being the initial dream but not knowing how to get here. I couldn’t have done this without cinematographer and documentarian thank you🙏🏽

Putting this here feels SO joyful and WILDLY terrifying. This series will debut on my YouTube that along with the podcast I’m reviving. Go to my bio link for those.

I’ve always loved the question “where ya people from?”. It always felt like connecting the dots of Black familiarity and...
08/12/2024

I’ve always loved the question “where ya people from?”. It always felt like connecting the dots of Black familiarity and history. My Mom is from Chicago but her people are from State Line, Mississippi.

My work is centered around shifting the narrative of the possibilities of Black communal experience and reminding us is who we are in relation to the outdoors.

The moment I started contemplating adventuring the American South, all the other contemplations followed. Among what I learned in many conversations with our folks who grew up in the south, is that they had a foundational connection to the outdoors from childhood. It just looked different from how we consider outdoor recreation.

Where ya people from?

Had you ever thought about the Great Black Migration and it's impact on how we get outside?

Black folks thriving is a necessary part of the Black lives matter conversation. This is Black history. As we support Bl...
02/07/2024

Black folks thriving is a necessary part of the Black lives matter conversation. This is Black history. As we support Black businesses we bridge gaps like the wealth gap and land or home ownership gap. As more Black folks begin to find themselves in the American outdoors or even wanting to bring parts of it into their everyday lives, I want to remind everyone to look out for Black owned businesses to shop with and support.

Everywhere I travel to on my adventures throughout the US, I Google “Black owned coffee shop”. I love coffee, I usually need somewhere I can post up and work for a few hours along my journey, and it shows me deeper insight into that area’s Black community. It’s amazing the places I’ve found them. There was one right near the Mexicali (Mexico California border) that was so charming and ran by a young Black woman.

Support Black businesses and look for them in industries you may not think you’ll find us.
Tag Black-owned outdoor recreation or related businesses below!

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