Celebration to spotlight role of blacks in national parks

Historical reenactors portraying the U.S. Army’s legendary Buffalo Soldiers will be among the attractions when Black History Month is celebrated at the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve in East Palo Alto, CA from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015.

Hosted by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, the event includes guided hikes, activities and crafts for kids, bird watching, environmental education, free food and a chance to explore one of the Bay Area’s lesser-known Bayside open-space preserves.

The celebration is designed to highlight the role blacks have played in the history of national parks in California. Some of that history will come to life with a special appearance by the California Buffalo Soldiers Association, whose members don authentic uniforms and pay tribute to the segregated black Army regiments originally formed in the 1800s.

Members of those regiments served in California’s national parks beginning in 1899, protecting places like Yosemite in a role that would eventually be filled by modern park rangers. Having increased diversity among today’s park rangers would encourage more people of color to visit national parks, according to Teresa Baker, who is collaborating with Midpen on Saturday’s celebration.

Baker said she founded the African American National Parks Event in 2013, a grass-roots effort that has “grown like wildfire” around the country.

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