The way we engage difference empirically and theoretically not only re-inscribes certain ways of thinking about difference, but reaffirms certain processes of valuation that measure “good” knowledge. Engaging difference demands something different – how do we create a space for that difference on its own terms, in order to generate something new? What are we willing to risk?"

Audio

How is nature critical to a 21st century urban ethic?

To answer this question, I feel it is only appropriate that I establish a little street credibility (and I just can’t help myself). I’m from New York. Though I haven’t lived there for years, when asked about my origins, I always say New York. Born in Manhattan, raised about a half an hour outside the city on an estate that my parents were responsible for caring for, and spending my 20s in Brooklyn on Ocean Parkway, right next to Prospect Park, my experience of “nature” was directly connected to my urban identity, my black sense of self and my dreams of what was possible in my world.

Publicity

Poster by African American Letter Press Printer, Amos Kennedy, Jr.

General Press

"Why I Quit Advising the National Park Service," Newsweek

"Tired of being ignored by the Trump administration, UK professor quits national park board," Courier Journal

"Getting Out: Nurturing a Bond Between Black People and Nature," NPR, 1A with Joshua Johnson

"Bookmarked: Carolyn Finney on Layers of Land and Earth," On She Goes

"Ten Women Leading the Outdoor Industry and Their View of the Future," Outside Magazine

H-Net Roundtable Review

"It Matters Who You See in Outdoor Media"

"We often don't hear about the people of color who have shaped America's natural spaces—and we still have a long way to go when it comes to representation in environmental and adventure media. Carolyn Finney, a professor of geography whose work often focuses on diverse communities in the outdoors, explains how we can do better."