Equity and Inclusion in the National Park Service: Historical Challenges, New Possibilities

Keywords: equity and inclusion, structural racism, Participatory Action Research, BIPOC grassroots, equitable access, National Park Service, environmental justice
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 32

Abstract

In 2016-17, I explored the National Park Service’s (NPS) history of addressing equity and inclusion in visitors and staff. I conducted in-depth, unstructured interviews using an interview guide or narrative story-telling with forty participants from the NPS, partner agencies, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) using Participatory Action Research (PAR) guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT). Previous research indicated that structural racism is at the core of why movement in this regard was lagging. Lack of equity and inclusion in the NPS (and by extension other public lands and environmental organizations) not only puts the future of public lands at risk due to changing demographics, but is, perhaps more importantly, now seen as environmental injustice. The results revealed the critical importance of genuine collaboration with BIPOC, the need for fundamental changes in hiring practices and diversity ‘training,’ among others, and included guidance for overcoming access barriers. The hope was that the recommendations and stories revealed by this research would provide the NPS with additional innovative ways to develop and implement policies and programs that meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population.
In ensuing years, BIPOC-led organizations and efforts to create equitable access to outdoor spaces has grown exponentially. Efforts at change are painfully slow. Many good programs operate under incorrect or misguided premises about what the barriers are, so the solutions remain questionable and the results unexamined. In this updated version, I dig deeper into what works and what doesn’t, and some newer ideas that can influence change.