Melanin Base Camp: Real-Life Adventurers Building a More Inclusive Outdoors

Beautiful, empowering, and exhilarating, Melanin Base Camp is a celebration of underrepresented BIPOC adventurers that will challenge you to rethink your perceptions of what an outdoorsy individual looks like and inspire you to being your own adventure.

Danielle Williams, skydiver and founder of the online community Melanin Base Camp, profiles dozens of adventurers pushing the boundaries of inclusion and equity in the outdoors. These compelling narratives include a mother whose love of hiking led her to found a nonprofit to expose BIPOC children to the wonders of the outdoors and a mountain biker who, despite at first dealing with unwelcome glances and hostility on trails, went on to become a blogger who writes about justice and diversity in natural spaces.

Also included is a guide to outdoor allyship that explores sometimes challenging topics to help all of us create a more inclusive community, whether you bike, climb, hike, or paddle. Join us as we work together to increase representation and opportunities for people of color in outdoor adventure sports.



About the Author

Danielle Williams is Founder of DiversifyOutdoors.com and Senior Editor of MelaninBaseCamp.com. Her love of adventure sports began in 2006 when the U.S. Army threw her out of her first airplane. Since 2016, she's worked to increase the visibility of outdoorsy individuals from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled communities. In 2018, she founded #DiversifyOutdoors, a coalition of digital influencers, affinity groups, and allies leveraging the power of social networks to build a more inclusive and equitable outdoors. Danielle has been featured in Vogue Business, Refinery29, NPR, New York Times, ABC News, Hulu, and more. On the weekends you can find her hiking, skydiving, or doing nothing at all because she deserves rest and so do you!