Black Girls Trekkin Logo
Black Girls Trekkin Logo

About us

Our Mission

The mission of BGT is to provide experiences that inspire Black women to pursue outdoors adventures with confidence, establish connections with one another, recreate on the land with care, and rekindle a deep-rooted cultural relationship with nature.

Our Principles

Representation

We’re here to show the world that Black women have a thirst for outdoor experiences that are too often underrepresented or unacknowledged. We’re adventurous, Black women who trek it out in the great outdoors!

Diversity and Inclusion

Though our group was created for Black women, we strive to show support for- and stand in unity with- all underrepresented groups. If you have ever felt left out of the outdoor community based on any aspect of your identity, know that we support and respect you! Everyone belongs outside and should have the ability to connect with the outdoors in their own way.

Education and Conservation

We hope to inspire and build a community of people who want to preserve and protect this wonderful planet. Not only do we enjoy being outdoors, we enjoy taking care of it too. We try our best to educate our community about our wonderful planet and why it’s worth protecting.

Meet The Team

Tiffany Tharpe
CEO + Founder

 

Tiffany Tharpe (she/her)

Tiffany is CEO and Co-Founder of Black Girls Trekkin Inc. What started as an idea in 2017 blossomed into a full blown community. Tiffany primarily handles planning events, marketing, finances, and community outreach. TIffany holds a BA in English and works as a Veterinary Assistant. She is passionate about this planet and the animals and plants that call it home, as well as building community and inspiring others to care for the planet. Her favorite outdoor activity is challenging herself to face her fears in the outdoors and trying anything at least once. 

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Michelle Warren
VP + Co-FOUNDER

Michelle Warren (she/her)

Michelle is the Vice President and Co-founder of Black Girls Trekkin Inc. Her primary role is managing operations, finances, and compliance. Michelle holds a BS in Marine Biology and a MA in Biology with an emphasis on community based conservation. She is passionate about environmental conservation and education and has more than six years of professional experience creating and facilitating nature-based programming for youth and adult audiences. Her favorite outdoor activities are trying to identify California plants or animals and finding the perfect spot to take in a view or relax. 

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Nicole Snell
Adventure Leader

Nicole Snell (she/her)

Nicole is an Adventure Leader for the Los Angeles region and has been with BGT since their very first hike! She is very experienced in the outdoors and teaches outdoor self-defense and how to be confident in yourself when traveling or hiking alone. 

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Kaira Lewis
Adventure Leader

Kaira Lewis (she/her)

Kaira is an Adventure Leader that leads our most challenging hikes. She is an avid backpacker and camper that loves trying new activities and encouraging others to be their best selves.

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Brianna Cunningham
Adventure Leader

Brianna Cunningham (she/her)

Brianna is an Adventure Leader of the Inland Empire region. She has been a part of BGT for a long time and is always looking for ways we can involve more of the community. She hosted our first ever Black Queer Campout!

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Destinee Stewart
Adventure Leader

Destinee Stewart (she/her)

Destinee is an Adventure Leader with a focus on family friendly hikes. She is passionate about introducing youth to the outdoors and inspiring them to create strong connections to nature.

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Erikka Yancy
Board Secretary

Erikka Yancy (she/her)

Erikka is Secretary of the Board. She is dedicated to the success of Black Girls Trekkin and works to ensure the growth of the organization. 

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Iris Hill 
Board Treasurer

Iris Hill (she/her)

Iris is Treasurer of the Board. She is always looking for ways BGT can make a greater impact on our community and ways we can extend our outreach to the youth. 

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FAQs

Black Girls Trekkin’ is primarily a group meant to provide a safe space for Black women to explore the outdoors and connect with one another. However, we welcome our allies of every race, ethnicity, or gender who support our mission. We may occasionally host events that delve into topics or issues that are predominantly experienced by Black women. If you’re ever unsure, you can always ask! We always appreciate the thought and are happy to answer any questions.

If you’re familiar with us you know our roots are in hiking and we definitely plan to keep hosting hikes. But as we grow, we’re hoping to mix it up a little. That means more camping, rock climbing, kayaking, snorkeling, outdoor yoga, beach/trail clean-ups, outdoor photography skills, and more! Have an idea for something BGT should do? Let us know!

Our group is based in Los Angeles, CA. We host events all over LA County as well as Orange County, and Riverside County. We also take day trips to further destinations like Santa Barbara and San Diego. We’re working to create chapters in other states. If you want to help us branch out, find out how you can support BGT.

Sign up for our email list! It’s the easiest way to be sure that you’re staying up to date on everything happening with BGT. You can also follow us on any of our social channels. 

A major goal for BGT is to make the outdoors accessible. To this end, we try to keep most of our events free or at a discounted cost. Typically we only charge for events that require us to provide supplies, food, transportation, or venue access. In these instances we try to supplement these costs through partner collaborations or our own funding to make them as accessible as possible.  

Support

Black Girls Trekkin’

Your donation helps our organization continue to grow and expose our community to the outdoors in a more accessible way.

Donate here

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