Love is King (LIK) was created to be part of the solution, to dismantle hate, bigotry and racism in the outdoors for Black communities and all historically marginalized groups. LIK works with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities to provide conservation leadership training opportunities to give black community leaders a voice and a platform to share their voice. LIK aims to address the lack of BIPOC representation in advocacy efforts centered around environmental justice issues, and break down barriers to safe, equitable access to nature for BIPOC communities by engaging and building power behind the skills and voices of black leaders in environmental advocacy for our public lands, wildlife and indigenous communities within the conservation sector.
Love is King’s Operation ROAM (Rapid Ongoing Advance Missions) provides opportunities for BIPOC leaders to step into the realm of public land and freshwater conservation efforts and disrupt the historical system that excluded BIPOC voices from government spaces where conservation policies and decisions are made.
Love is King’s Heritage Events are cultural and historical outdoor learning experiences to break down barriers to nature, acting as an entry point for BIPOC community members to experience nature. The events celebrate holidays and BIPOC change makers through storytelling and art in Portland’s urban parks, bringing together communities in a safe environment while making the natural experience more representative and culturally relevant.
“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
Martin Luther King Jr.