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“That’s the thing about the Smokies: It can give you what you need. If you want to be around other people, you can do that. If you want to watch some wildlife, you can do that.”
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instance, everyone knows about the first major battle of the American Revolution at Bunker Hill. We’ve always read about the men that took on the well-trained British army, right? But one of the things that many people don’t know is that 30 percent of the men on that hill were African American and Native American. So we tried to tell different stories. The Black Heritage Trail was also in Boston, so we offered information about the free black community and their white allies who took on slavery. Those stories bring us together more than separate us.
I see the same opportunity here. We all marvel at the beauty of the Smokies, and hands down it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in my career—but there is a human element here, too: Folks who sacrificed and moved so that this could become a park. I want to be sure we don’t lose those stories.
CV: How can you bring more diversity, history, and inclusion to the park?
CC: That’s going to take you, that’s going to take me, that’s going to take everyone—because these treasures belong to everyone! There’s a notion that only African Americans can recruit African Americans, only Native Amer- icans can recruit Native Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders can only recruit Asian Pacific Islanders, and so on. We all have to reach out and try our best
to introduce folks that have not had an experience in the Great Smokies—or the other 406 other National Park Service unions across the country. It’s a “we” more than a “me” on that—but, of course, I consider myself to be a champion in talking about this because if we don’t create that next generation of users, advocates, and supporters and
employees, I think the work we’ve done for the first 99 years of the Park Service and its existence will be in vain.
CV: What’s your favorite trail to hike?
CC: I had a chance to hike Laurel Falls about a month ago. That’s beautiful. I don’t have a favorite because each trail I’ve gone on thus far offers something so different. Sometimes I need soli- tude—and I take off on a trail. That’s the thing about the Smokies: It can give you what you need. If you want to be around other people, you can do that. If you want to watch some wildlife, you can do that. If you just want peace and quiet, there are a lot of remote places here where you can recharge. I am an introvert—and sometimes I need to get out and away to reflect. The park is the best way to do that.
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