I’m Taylor Crenshaw, founder of Peace in the Wild, a movement that reconnects Black people to nature.

I grew up in nature.

In my grandmother’s garden, outside ’til the street lights came on, at an environmental school and in science programs, and at summer camp.

At camp, I was often the only Black girl.

I learned early what it feels like to be present in a space, but not reflected in it. To love something, but rarely see yourself belonging to it.

That experience always stuck with me and Peace in the Wild was born from it. Not as an idea, but as an act of resistance to the idea that Black people are separate from nature and it is a place to fear.

Nature is a birthright and can be a refuge. But generations of historical trauma, exclusion, and unequal access have shaped the Black community’s relationship with it.

Peace in the Wild exists to change that.

We create the space for people to experience nature as a place of peace, belonging, and joy that they can carry back into their lives and share with others.

This is not just time outside or a place we go to. It is a part of who we are and a return.

A return to play and curiosity
A return to self and community
A return to belonging in spaces we have always been part of

This work shows up in many forms. Through group outdoor experiences like hikes, paddles, and camping trips. Through education programs like swimming lessons and foraging classes that builds confidence outside. Through stewardship efforts that gives back to the land and green spaces within our communities. And throgh people that stays connected beyond the trails.

But at its core, it is simple:

Black people belong in nature. And I show up in this work not just as a founder, but as a witness to remind our community of that.