So, it's goodbye 2022. You were a mixed year with some sprinkles of fun scattered over a challenging landscape. The worst of the pandemic seems to be over. But not so the climate crises. My worrying about it has shot up as the emergency seems to be fading in our rush to get back to normal.
Anyway, let me focus on the positive in my little spot of the world. The best part of the year was being able to travel, to see the family, in person, for the first time in two years! Real hugs and kisses. Long dinners. Late night chats over glasses of wine.
The end of the PhD is near! I've collected my data by interviewing Black people on their experiences in hiking, camping and snowshoeing. I am now writing the thesis. I could not have got this far without the patience and encouragement from my supervisor. I am also grateful to the Safina Center for their support and fellowship.
The highlight of the year was making a daydream come true in Hiking Hadrian's Wall. It turned out to be the 1900th anniversary of the building of the wall. We shared our progress daily on social media, of our week-long walk in the footsteps of the African Romans who once ruled Britain. This got a lot of attention and encouraged us on the days when it rained buckets and the feet complained of walking up the hills and down the dales. The English media picked up our story. BBC Country File included it on this episode. The walk will part of my book called Walking Back: Race, Nature and Memory in the English Countryside.
I also did some writing including:
Scott, J. L. (2022). Black youth on skis: Race in the Canadian snow. In: Smith, T.A., Pitt, H., Dunkley, R.A. (eds) Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young people and diverse outdoor experiences. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. (pp. 235-257).
Evergreen Blog (November 11, 2022). How our views on dogs are shaped by culture and experience. Most of the dogs we meet in the ravine are off the leash. When they come sprinting towards us – panting, fangs showing, tongue hanging out – I remember to see them as beloved pets when I am with my friend and her dog. When I am alone, the unleashed dogs are most likely to trigger fear.
Spacing (July 29, 2022). Biking through Barrie's Black history. The search for Black history is often what inspires my adventures and visits to hamlets, small towns, and other places and events in Canada. The Black history is there, though one has to dig hard to find it.
Wellcome Collection (June 29, 2022). Parks and politics in Brixton's past and present. The narrow road was a chasm between two versions of life in London in the 1980s. It was called the frontline back then. As I remembered it, on one side was Black life: jammed with Caribbean lilt and music, people working hard jobs, living in poor housing, suffering police harassment, and still dreaming that their children would have a better future.
© Jacqueline L. Scott. You can support the blog here.
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