>> Nature, for me, it's the door to freedom for me to find my own peace and empower myself and remind myself I'm in control of my destiny, of my emotions, of my mind, of how I want to design my life.

Because when I'm in nature, all I see is creation in its beauty and its abundance.

And it is a cleansing.

It's a washing of all the energies we think in our mind are poisoning us or toxic to us or, you know, preventing us from living in freedom.

And when we're in nature, it does wash all that away.

And it's a detox.

It's a cleanse of everything we think we are in control of.

We're reminded it's nothing.

We can live in harmony and be in this peace around us at all times.

>> This is therapeutic.

This is amazing.

This makes you feel, like, revived.

Your soul is rejuvenated.

And one of the things that -- when you don't know something and you've never been out here, and you've never been out here, you would assume that it's not amazing.

You would think about all the dangers.

But I'm here to tell you there's some amazing, amazing, amazingness in the outdoors, in nature, in the public lands, at parks, camping, hiking, backpacking, RV, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, skiing, rock climbing, all those things, mountain biking.

And black folks do do those things, but it ain't nothing wrong with us promoting for more black folks to do these things.

It'll bode well for the lifestyle.

It'll bode well for the industry.

And it'll also bode well for humanity if we all are out enjoying the outdoors.

Period.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ My name is Earl B.

Hunter, Jr.

I'm the founder and president of Black Folks Camp Too.

"Too" means "also" and "as well."

Our job at Black Folks Camp Too is to remove fear, add knowledge, and invite more folks to camp and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle with any and everyone.

And while we do that, we promote unity in the outdoor community and beyond.

One of the biggest reasons why I started Black Folks Camp Too is that I -- at one point, I was probably one of the only black executives in the RV industry, and the RV industry is -- close to $140 billion industry.

♪♪ My job in the RV industry, when I first started in the RV industry, being one of the only black executives in the RV industry, is that to go out and really drive the business for a company that I worked for that made RVs.

So we were in RV manufacturing.

♪♪ This happened in 2014.

So in 2014 to 2019, that was my job to really drive the business and sales and marketing for this RV manufacturing company.

And be quite frank with you, we killed it.

You know, we did $17.5 million in four years, where the company had never really done a million in a year in sales.

And so throughout all that and really enjoying the industry and driving it and being at the RV shows and the industry shows, to be frank with you, I got tired of being the only black executive in the space, and I decided that if I'm going to change it, I needed to leave the company that I was working for, working with, and start this company, which is Black Folks Camp Too, so that we can help more folks of color get in the industry.

And then we can also help more folks get into the lifestyle.

That was the real -- the biggest reason why we started this company, why this company started.

♪♪ A lot of the folks in the industry were really wanting to change the face of the industry, wanting to talk about inclusion, more diversity in the industry.

But what we found when we were talking about this, many of the folks who were doing this work, particularly the people who were head of a lot of the companies in the outdoor industry, they didn't even know why black folks weren't going into the outdoors.

And so they were spending all this money and all this time and spinning their wheels.

And for years and years and years and years, nothing has changed.

They got frustrated.

Many of them didn't do anything at all.

And then Mr. Floyd was killed, and then COVID hit.

And then the industry started to recognize that the outdoor industry is one of the most segregated industries in the world, one of the most segregated lifestyles in the world.

And what we found is we knew that, right?

But one thing I tell folks about building businesses, and I'm a prolific in regards to driving a business, you cannot get to the what, when, where, and how until you know the why.

And because the industry, this $1.1 trillion industry, many of the folks in this industry, close to probably 90% of the people in this industry who work in this industry, who are trying to fix the industry in regards to how to make it better, more inclusive, more diverse, they don't know the why black folks and people of color had not been in the outdoors.

And we know why black folks hadn't been in the outdoors.

We know that a majority of us have not been in the outdoors.

And number one reason is generational fear.

Generational fear.

My great grandmother told my grandmother told my mother told me, don't go in the woods.

You don't belong in the woods.

I'm from the south, but it don't matter.

My lineage is from the south.

My great grandmother would tell us that, right?

And what we found out is a lot of folks that look like Earl, their great grandparents told them the same exact things, right?

Number two, we don't have a lot of knowledge, right?

We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars taking folks out in the outdoors, which is why people think we're a group and a club, which we're not.

But we took folks out, not just for them to have an amazing time.

We wanted them to do that, but we really took them out because we wanted to understand why they weren't going out in the first place.

So we took folks out from every tax bracket you can think of, from the low income to the high income, which we call from the "Good Times" folks to the Huxtables, we took them all out and they all said the same reasons why they didn't want to go in the outdoors -- generational fear, lack of knowledge, and lack of invitation.

♪♪ When we talk about black folks in America, we had laws to keep us out of the outdoors.

>> During the Jim Crow era, parks maintained separate accommodations for white and black visitors.

Though parks are now desegregated and accessible to all races, the scar remains.

Now, less than 10% of national park visitors are African American.

Black Folks Camp Too aims to ensure that everyone is invited to and welcome to the outdoors.

>> And that, to me, is important enough for me to put my money, my time, my effort, my career, and everything on the line to make sure that my children's children's children and your children's children's children, and the world's children's children are able to enjoy the outdoors, whether they're in private places, on public lands.

Period.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> For me personally, because, you know, I want my kids to grow up in a world where they can be with a community of people that are different than them, I mean, I feel like our lives are all enriched by when we're able to share space and share stories and share companionship with people that have lived a life a little bit different than ours.

♪♪ We can all share our stories.

Our reality, sometimes, in this modern world, in this country, it likes to divide things and keep things separately.

And I just don't know how anyone could not want to get behind unity and being together with people and sharing our experiences, sharing our knowledge, sharing our wisdom, sharing our stories.

And for me, I really want my kids to grow up in a world where that's the norm.

>> We need more black folks and people of color in the outdoors, experiencing the outdoor lifestyle and getting all the benefits, whether it's physical, spiritual, or otherwise benefits that the outdoors brings.

Because I believe that we all kind of -- we need to connect with nature, and it gives us a place to kind of relax, release, and let go of stress and really kind of just become one with the -- you know, with -- I say, one with nature, but just one with our surroundings.

Because I just believe the outdoors is a beautiful place.

And I believe that it's a great place to sit and reflect and really, you know, understand who you are and understand life.

>> I believe we live in a society where we're conditioned to believe we're just a participant of life or a consumer of something else.

So it's a buy and purchase process in some way.

And in nature, or when you're participating in a sport, it's totally free.

It's accessible, but only if you allow it and you receive that experience.

But that experience is a door that not many people enter often because it's a mystery.

It's a mystery to go into a place, into the woods, into a lake where you've never touched it, and to promise yourself it's going to be an adventure, it's going to be a great time.

But when you let go of fear and you just have that natural joy that nature gives you, and you get to go home at night and sleep so deep and good.

We all deserve that.

We all need that.

>> The outdoors is a beautiful place.

It's one of our greatest assets.

And I want to see more black folks, more people of color around these campfires.

And I don't care who we're with.

I just want us around these campfires.

Because I know once we get around these campfires, we're going to start having conversations, and we're going to find out we got more same than differences with anyone.

We promote unity, and we're not -- we don't get off of that.

We promote unity in the outdoor community and beyond.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I don't think folks really understand what it means to look into the flames of a campfire, all the colors and the beautifulness of it.

But also, I like the campfire because there are no walls around it.

I've had some conversations with folks around the campfire that I've never had around the kitchen table.

The campfire is so important to us, and some of us don't even know how important it is, right?

I believe that the campfire is what's going to bring us together.

It's the thing that's going to bring our country together.

It's the thing that's going to bring everybody into a space where we can start having conversations.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Well, we got some kindling here, which are small pieces of dry wood that we're using to start the fire.

And what I'm doing right now is building sort of a -- couple ways you can build a fire.

Some folks call them teepees.

I like building a log cabin.

Because I like the way the air kind of goes through it and catches the sides I like to bring it in so it'll catch, like so.

♪♪ So.

♪♪ Here's the thing.

The trick to it is... ♪♪ Gotta make sure it catches.

There we go.

>> It's getting there.

>> Yeah.

>> Better get some of those thin ones up the back there.

♪♪ >> There we go.

♪♪ It'll burn.

It'll get going.

What's so cool about the campfire, though, what I love, really love, is that once we get started... ♪♪ Once we get started... Once it's going all sort of like this.

>> The point of no return.

>> One of the coolest things-- One of the coolest products that I've ever seen, I think it's called a bellow.

It's like an antenna off a car.

And you blow it from back here in the fire.

>> So you don't get smoke in your eyes.

>> Smoke in your eyes.

I learned that... >> Or burn your eyelashes off.

>> ...From my buddy That took me on a backpacking trip.

First time ever.

His name is Payday.

That was his trail name.

And when he pulled it out, I said, "Yo, that's an antenna."

He said, no.

[ Imitating extension and blowing ] [ Laughter ] I'm like, yo, he killed it.

So now this thing's getting started, baby.

>> Start expanding the cabin.

>> Start expanding the cabin.

>> Adding on.

>> Adding on.

It's sort of like we do with our Unity Blaze -- Unity Blaze course, we add on more, more, and more companies who want to invite and welcome folks into the outdoor industry and also into the outdoor lifestyle.

>> Yeah.

Gotta get the foundation right before -- >> You got to get the foundation right.

>> And then everybody sees the flame, and they're drawn to it.

>> You gotta know the why before you can get to the what, the when, where, and how.

You gotta love it.

And if you and if you can't skip any steps.

And this is the thing that I tell folks, you can't skip any steps, particularly with this message that we share, which is unity in the outdoor community and beyond.

A lot of folks will want to skip the steps because they think that this is easy and they think they want to get to it fast and they want to get to it quick.

But the reason why people of color have not been in the outdoors didn't happen overnight.

It happened over years and years and years and years and years.

>> Generations.

>> Generations, right.

So...

But, Craig, what do you think?

What do you think about unity in the outdoor community and beyond?

And what do you think about it?

What comes to your mind, bro?

'Cause you that guy.

>> No, to me, when you get a group of people who are from different backgrounds, and it doesn't matter what the backgrounds are -- could be income backgrounds, education backgrounds, age backgrounds, racial backgrounds, religious backgrounds.

You're sitting by the fire, talking, staying warm, maybe making some food, and everybody's on the same page.

It's a complete leveler.

It levels the playing field.

>> There's no walls.

>> No walls, no ceilings.

>> No barriers.

>> No barriers.

>> One thing that I always think about when I think about a campfire is the way that campfires always bring out stories.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> And in my life, one of the most important things for me is my family sharing stories, my grandfather sharing stories.

You know, a lot of people say that the world and the universe is made up of atoms and particles -- to me, the world that we live in is made up of stories.

And as Greg said, when a group of people get around a campfire from different backgrounds, we all have different stories that we've grown up with.

We all have different stories that have made our lives.

When you hear other people's stories, it allows you to shift your perspective a little bit.

It can give you a little bit more insight.

And specifically with camping, and one of the reasons why, you know, black folks and people of color haven't been around is because, you know, we say lack of invitation and lack of knowledge are the two of the big ones.

And the only way we can share knowledge is through sharing the stories of how we got here, how our parents brought us up in the outdoors, if you've been somebody that's been brought up in the outdoors.

And so to me, a fire is just one of those places where it almost like pulls that out of people.

It pulls that out of you.

You want to share these things, whether it's, you know, the stereotypical ghost story or how you got here, what brought you to campus.

>> I don't like them ghost stories around the campfire.

You keep them ghost stories.

Them bear stories and ghost ghost stories, I tell them, hey, man, you cut that out.

I get it.

Keep it to yourself.

But I'm picking up what you put down.

>> Yeah.

So to me, that's what a campfire really symbolizes to me, is a place to kind of, like, let those parts of you out.

It's a place where you can share those things with the people around you, and yeah, it's a just a place for that.

>> And to layer on top of that, just to add on the -- what I thought you were going to say was about the safety around fire.

So a fire is not only a place to tell stories, but it's a safe place, there's safety in fire.

Not only symbolically, safety from the darkness.

It sheds the light, it opens up the light.

But just you feel safe when you have a community around you that you can be open up and tell the stories.

>> You know...

I really want the world to know... That -- I really want the world to know that Black Folks Camp Too, our company, we don't have all the answers.

But we use a lot of data and a lot of communication from other folks to come up with the right answers.

And what's so cool about that is I also want people to know, particularly when it comes to the Unity Blaze, is that we want to show the world what unity looks like within our company.

First, because I hear -- the industry always talks about we want to have more inclusion in our company, but this is what inclusion looks like, right?

And we want to add on more people of different race, age, genders, and abilities to our company as we grow.

As the smoke gets into my eyes.

[ Laughter ] It makes me cry.

You're looking at me like "Earl's crying."

Yeah, the smoke is in my eyes.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> So yeah, the Unity Blaze is kind of one of the symbols behind Black Folks Camp Too.

It's a inside a circle.

It's a campfire symbol.

And that's really at the heart of Black Folks Camp Too.

And what it means when you see that symbol, it means you are invited and you are welcomed.

And one of the things that we've done through our online education initiatives is the organizations in the industry that go through our training program, our online courses, they become Unity Blaze certified partners, and we give them the ability to brandish these symbols, the Unity Blaze symbol.

And so when you're out in the world of the outdoor industry, when you're at a state park, when you're at a retail store, when you're visiting an online retailer, and you see that Unity Blaze, that means that they those organizations are not just -- not just talking the talk.

They're walking the walk.

They are people and organizations that are dedicated to making the outdoor industry more inclusive.

So when you see those symbols, that means that these folks want you there.

They're inviting you and welcoming you to their store.

And the reason why we use the campfire is because, you know, if you look at human history, the campfire is really one of the oldest gathering places.

It's the oldest source of heat.

It's the oldest source of community.

It's a place where for hundreds and thousands of years, human beings have been gathering to share food, to tell stories, to be with each other, to share warmth.

It's a sign of community.

And so we really wanted that to be the center of what we do at Black Folks Camp Too and our mission.

>> From a white person's point of view, to become more inclusive, a big -- in my opinion, a big part of that is the mindset of the person in the first place, right?

We have people out there who may or may not even want to see a more inclusive outdoors.

And so we have to realize that.

I don't know what percentage of it is, but that's a possibility.

But if you are a person who does want to create inclusivity, the biggest thing is find somebody who doesn't look like you.

Befriend them.

Make them a friend, or help them become a friend and take them and their families outdoors.

>> We all have that responsibility to teach other people, no matter where you are in your experience or your background or what you look like.

Of course there's something for you to share and to guide someone's journey with when it comes to nature, camping outdoors.

>> When I die, I don't -- I don't care about leaving my children the beautiful homes that we have, the cars -- they're going to get all that kind of stuff.

I want to leave my children the legacy of that their father was not on the cutting edge, but he put everything on the line to make sure that everyone could enjoy the outdoor lifestyle and the industry however they desire.

♪♪ [ Indistinct conversations ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪