"EMIGRANT GAP, Calif. — Jade Stevens stands at the edge of a snowy cliff and takes in the jaw-dropping panorama of the Sierra.
Peaks reaching more than a mile high form the backdrop to Bear Valley, a kaleidoscope of green pastures mixed with ponderosa pines, firs, cedars and oak trees.
Stevens, 34, is well aware that some of her fellow Black Americans can’t picture themselves in places like this. Camping, hiking, mountain biking, snow sports, venturing to locales with wild animals in their names — those are things white people do.
As co-founder of the 40 Acre Conservation League, California’s first Black-led land conservancy, she’s determined to change that perception."
Tyrone Beason reports for the Los Angeles Times with photography by Brian van der Brug May 19, 2024.
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