Urban American Outdoors, the award winning TV program that has aired over TV affiliates across the US for sixteen years, is the first diverse reality sports adventure show of its kind. It is a TV program where we have been able to tell our own unique stories of nature, conservation, recreation, historical and cultural places, food and edutainment.
Our host is the avid outdoorsman Wayne Hubbard, who was raised in living the outdoors lifestyle, owning land, hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and growing their own healthy food. When people watched Urban American Outdoors they would email us, call and thank us for representing a different viewpoint.
What this vehicle has really been doing was warming the market—making something that wasn’t seen at all in the media. Our show provides images of African Americans enjoying themselves and recreating in the outdoors. There are millions of us out there, but we are basically invisible. In this multibillion dollar industry there was no African American presence. With all the retail outdoor expenditures being bought there were no faces of color on any advertisement or sponsorship even though we are big consumers. It was a concept that was so foreign at the time that when we first aired in 2003, people would ask us “do other black people really do that?”
After many years of going to Outdoor & Conservation conferences, we decided to have a venue where we all could come together, share our ideas, create career opportunities and implement solutions to the barriers we often faced. The Urban Outdoor Summit was specifically designed for the urban market who felt that they were left out of the larger picture. There was no place to discuss issues that concerned our communities or families. Even though we had hopes and dreams of wanting to talk about how we felt about the environment, conservation, and our natural resources, no one wanted to include our voices. We decided to change that.
Thus, much like how we created the TV show Urban American Outdoors that was full inclusive of all lovers of nature, we then set out and created a summit where people could stretch out and be comfortable to discuss pertinent issues, and also put into action some of those ideas. Everyone who has attended our summit has always left enlightened and inspired, ready to take their ideas to the next level. Now we can continue advocating, creating awareness of the outdoors lifestyle and connecting our neighborhoods to nature, to heal our bodies, mind and soul and know we are a part of an ongoing evolutionary process, moving upward to our higher selves. Man is not a separate entity but a part of the whole plan of nature.
So on July 31 – Aug 1, 2015 in Atlanta, Ga. at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta – Midtown we will all be coming together celebrating our 6th Annual Urban Outdoor Summit in conjunction with the 149th National Reunion of the Buffalo Soldier 9th & 10th Calvary hosted by the Greater Atlanta Buffalo Soldiers. For the summit we will have dynamic speakers, outdoor enthusiast, health professionals, government agencies, conservationist, entertainers, friends and families. For more info call 913-334-5177.