- [Narrator] In the old growth forest of Oxbow Park, about a dozen folks have gathered together.

(participants laughing) This is one of many meetups for People of Color outdoors, also known as POCO.

- I believe you're right.

- [Ashley] Hello.

- Hi, I'm Tabitha.

- I'm Ashley.

- Nice to meet you.

- [Narrator] POCO is the brainchild of Pamela Slaughter.

- You won't be alone.

- [Narrator] An Oregonian, born and raised in Portland.

- And art.

- [Narrator] She started POCO in 2017.

- Have a great life.

- All right.

- [Narrator] The group now gets together about 60 times a year.

- My main job is to help people gain access to beautiful places, to new skills, activities.

We're going to go this way.

Most of the people in my group are either new to Portland, new to Oregon, and are new to the outdoors.

Or they've had bad experiences outdoors and have taken a long break, and now they're trying to venture back into it, but they want to feel safe.

Do you guys notice the difference in the undergrowth?

(participants chattering) - [Participant] More huckleberries.

- Bears love these berries.

(camera shutter clicks) - [Participant] They're poisonous to us, right?

- No.

- No, no.

- Oh.

- They're yummy.

- [Participant] I thought there was a bear.

(everyone laughing) - You washed, right?

No?

Okay.

I've written my will.

(participants chattering) - More huckleberries.

We'll leave some for the bears.

(Pamela laughs) (footsteps crunching) - [Narrator] The idea behind POCO is about more than just a desire to bring People of Color together.

That need for safety Pamela mentioned?

It comes from experience.

- There was an incident.

It was a long time ago when my daughter was a child.

This was when skinheads were around a lot.

And we had stepped off the path to let them pass, and they got off the path too.

Said some nasty things, and then kind of moved on.

When I look back on it now, I think, "Oh, they saw us and they decided to harass us and then move on," but for us, it was a scary moment for us, because I knew my kids weren't safe and I knew I couldn't protect them.

(participants chattering and laughing) (footsteps crunching) And then once I found out about other people having the same issue, that's how POCO was born.

I don't want our kids here to miss out on all this.

(bird chirping) A lot of the world has Western Red Cedars and some cultures consider it to be a sacred tree.

- Sacred.

- Yeah.

And this particular tree has a lot of little sapsucker holes.

They look like little nail holes.

Look at 'em up there.

- Yeah, I see all of them.

There's so many.

- Isn't that pretty cool?

- Yeah.

- [Participant] There's a red belly.

- [Pamela] What do you see now?

- [Participant] I see two giant logs.

- They're both in the process of becoming mother logs.

Guess when they fell?

- [Participant] During COVID?

- 1970.

- Wow.

- 1970?

- And this is how small the trees are, after all this time.

When we get on the other side, you'll be able to see the baby trees coming up out of it.

- Okay.

- Out of mama.

- Whoa.

- See, look.

- These baby trees.

- [Narrator] Walking through the old-growth forest at Oxbow Park, it's impossible not to marvel at the massive trees still standing.

They can range in diameter, anywhere from four to 12 feet, and some trees are over 700 years old.

(bird chirps) The woman who's responsible for preserving this ancient forest was another Black woman, Estella Ehelebe.

- She loved the trees out here.

And when BLM, who own lots of the land in here said, "Oh, you've got some nasty old trees.

They're danger trees.

Can we take them out?"

She read between the lines saying, can we harvest a lot of the old growth?

And she says, "No, I've got staff.

They'll take care of the danger trees and you don't have to be involved anymore."

She wrote that in a letter, and that ended up saving some of the last old growth in Oregon.

- [Narrator] That decision to save the trees took place in the late 1970s.

Estella Ehelebe was the first Black superintendent for Multnomah County Forest.

She later worked for Metro and was the first and only Black woman to lead Multnomah County Parks before these lands were transferred to Metro.

She helped to save 92 acres of old-growth forest at Oxbow Park.

- I'm Anjala Ehelebe.

My mom was Estella Mae Allen Ehelebe.

She made a decision that saved a lot of the old growth in the park.

And I'm going to tell you how that happened, how she came to be who she was.

I hope you will find humor, inspiration and wisdom in what I have to say.

- [Narrator] Part of the POCO experience is in cultivating a close sense of community through education and nature.

- [Anjala] All right.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

(participants clapping) - Instead of saying, "Come hike at Oxbow," I say, "Come gather at Oxbow."

And this is hiking optional.

Oh, baba ganoush.

Okay.

Tabouli salad, yum.

Hummus, yum.

You can just lay in the hammock if you want.

- You got the deer.

- We can put a blanket out and just read your book.

There's something for everybody.

(stones crack) - Yay!

- All right.

(participants clapping) - [Narrator] There are even lessons in geology.

- [Guardian] What do you see?

- [Participant] I see some very good crystals.

- [Narrator] Aspen Diallo is a part of the People of Color Outdoors Guardians.

That's POCO's Junior Nature Education and New Friends program.

- [Participant] Oh, yeah.

- [Narrator] All of this, the hike, the connection to geology, is happening in this way with this group for a reason.

When large groups of People of Color travel, it can draw a lot of attention, but at least no one is alone.

(footsteps crunching) - Look at this, Aspen.

I have always loved Oxbow Park, but when I go there now, it's even more special to me.

Because of Estella Ehelebe, this is a place that's pretty pristine.

(bird chirps) And it also reminds me that one person can make a difference, for generations.

(footsteps crunching) - Thank you, moss.

We appreciate it.

- We do.

(footsteps crunching)