About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

50 Ecology L.Q. 1 (2023)

handle is hein.journals/eclawq50 and id is 1 raw text is: Racism in the Water: Access for All in
Outdoor Recreation
Sarah Ruth Martinez*
I wanted to sit outside and listen to the roar of the ocean, but I was afraid.
I wanted to walk through the redwoods, but I was afraid. I wanted to glide in a
kayak and feel the cool water splash in my face, but I was afraid. - Evelyn
White, Black Women and the Wilderness.1
Racism    is  rampant,   especially  in  outdoor    recreational  spaces.
Discrimination and exclusivity have kept predominantly Black and People of
Color out of blue spaces, leaving only the privileged to enjoy them. This Article
chronicles the long history of the exclusion of People of Color from blue spaces.
With the realization that historical racism may have impacted Black communities
and People of Color, social scientists conducted studies to determine just how
deep the impacts ran. Studies demonstrated several barriers to accessing or
enjoying blue spaces. Deep-rooted racism was shown to have created a socially
exclusive environment where Black and People of Color are often berated and
unwelcome in blue spaces. Racist land-use and housing policies force Black and
People of Color into areas friendly to industrial uses, resulting in widespread
environmental justice issues and being far away from blue spaces. Living far
away from blue spaces makes it difficult for Black and People of Color to
physically access blue spaces, as parking and transportation to these areas are
often lacking. A combination of all these barriers results in a striking lack of
racial diversity in blue spaces. Thankfully, a couple of existing tools could prove
helpful in the fight to achieve more equitable access to blue space. This Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15779/Z38VM42Z54
Copyright © 2023 Regents of the University of California.
. Sarah Martinez was the Sea Grant UW Water Science-Policy Fellow, Water Policy Specialist in the
Center for Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School for Freshwater Science
from 2021 to 2022. She received her J.D. from the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law in
2021. She thanks Sherif Halaweish, J.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison anticipated 2023, for
his research assistance and thoughts on this project. She also thanks Misbah Husain, her colleague and
friend, for his time talking through ideas for the direction of this Article. Finally, she thanks her mentor,
Melissa Scanlan, for her invaluable insights and continued support as this Article took shape.
1. Evelyn C. White, Black Women and the Wilderness, in THE BLACK WOMEN'S HEALTH BOOK:
SPEAKING FOR OURSELVES 1063 (Evelyn C. White ed., 1990).

1

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most