06/19/2026
Today is Juneteenth. It honors June 19th, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure all enslaved people were freed, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. There are a few things that are significant to me about this, as a Trailkeeper and as a Black American.
It is one thing to declare freedom broadly in policy. It is another thing to embrace freedom as a practice to activate liberation.
The forest has a mixed and sometimes painful history of meanings for us. A place to escape. A place of refuge. But also, a place of trauma and fear. Oregon has its own history of exclusion to reconcile. Many of us have friends and colleagues who have experienced uneasiness and uncertainty, intimidation and harassment in the outdoors. We can each take a step towards healing by making it a priority to include and invite others, as well as continuing to learn and grow ourselves. Thankfully, many groups and organizations actively lead and support these efforts as well.
All of us belong outside. All of us deserve the chance to feel the dirt under our feet, to hear the whispers of the wind through the trees, to see the sun rising above a ridgeline early in the morning, to close our eyes and smile as the waterfall roars an ancient story.
Trailkeepers of Oregon seeks to promote safety, fun, and service for everyone in the outdoors. That means having a familiar face to greet you at the start of a hike, keeping trail condition information as up to date as possible, and working on the trails themselves to ensure access. Those are the tangible actions we take as our commitment to the public.
Deeper than that, our internal work with each other as board members, staff, and dedicated volunteers means we commit to learning, reflecting, and growing in our respect for history, people, and place. We hope that, in doing so, we are always striving to become an organization where people feel a sense of belonging.
Today also marks my 2-year work anniversary at TKO. I was given the opportunity to choose my starting day, and I chose Juneteenth. Let’s keep getting out there. Let’s keep sharing this earth with each other. Let’s celebrate freedom by activating liberation.
Matt Ruddy
Program Director
Trailkeepers of Oregon
