My team and I have spent these last weeks reflecting on what we can do better as a company. It’s been an uncomfortable process.

We have watched media coverage of law enforcement trying to bring order to the streets of America. We’ve realized that the thing about “order” is that it’s not really a system of order unless it works for everyone. It’s comfortable to be a person for whom the system works and have the luxury of calling it “order”. But unless everyone is included in the protection and participation of that system, it’s just coercion, with a friendly name.

We understand the defensiveness that comes with talking about white fragility. And, while this may not be a popular thing to say, we actually have some degree of empathy for it. To close one’s ears when something is disturbing for us is a somewhat normal human reaction. We are not judging it and we will not shame people for having it.

AND ALSO, continuing to live in that intolerant space is not who I believe humans are, at our core, as our highest selves. On some level, we are all hardwired to know that we are not free until we’re all free.

We don’t pretend to be woke, but we do see our evolution and know that we’re on the right path.

Here at Lakebound, we’re starting small and working toward a larger goal of total inclusivity. These are the things we’re implementing now:

1. A mission statement of inclusivity that we’ll actively strive to practice daily.

2. Formation of a paid advisory board to direct us on all the ways our company can do better.

3. Creation of an internship program open to marginalized groups to learn about maps and how they connect us to places.

4. Collaboration with active BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and marginalized members of the outdoor community to amplify their voices and experiences.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sincerely,

The Team at Lakebound