Ambreen Tariq is an American activist and children's author whose work focuses on

outdoor recreation Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

, accessibility, and

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

. In 2016, Tariq founded @BrownPeopleCamping, an

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account that highlights the recreational experiences of people of color and immigrants in the United States. Her writing has been featured in

Outside Outside or Outsides may refer to: * Wilderness Books and magazines * ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras * ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, theatre and TV * Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a television network * '' ...

magazine, and in 2020 she published her debut children's book, ''Fatima's Great Outdoors''. She has been profiled by

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, CNN Health,

Elite Daily ''Elite Daily'' is an American online news platform founded by David Arabov, Jonathon Francis, and Gerard Adams. The site describes its target audience as millennials. In addition to general news and trending topics, the site offers feature st ...

, and more. Tariq is a first generation member of the Diversify Outdoors Coalition, a founding member of the Outdoorist Oath, an advisor to the Outdoor Alliance for Kids, and an advisory council member of the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

's Outdoors For All campaign. Tariq previously served on the board of directors of the

Appalachian Trail Conservancy The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC; formerly Appalachian Trail Conference) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Appalachian Trail, a route in the eastern United States that runs from Maine to Georgia. Founded in 1 ...

and Green Muslims. In addition to her advocacy and writing, Tariq is a non-practicing attorney. She is currently based in the Washington, D.C., area.

BrownPeopleCamping

Ambreen Tariq, whose family emigrated to the U.S. from India, learned to camp with family in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. Tariq, who is

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, created Brown People Camping after noting the lack of diversity she saw while camping at

Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah National Park (often ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States that encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The park is long and narrow, with the Shenandoah River and its ...

in Virginia’s

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

. The Instagram account seeks to promote greater diversity on public lands through storytelling and the power of visual representation. As of March 2022, the account has nearly 32,000 followers. The account's popularity led to brand ambassadorships with several outdoor recreation companies, including

L.L. Bean L.L.Bean is an American privately held retail company that was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean. The company, headquartered in Freeport, Maine (where it was founded), specializes in clothing and outdoor recreation equipment. History L.L. ...

, Merrell,

REI Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It was formerly governed, and continues to brand itself, as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear, hiking, clim ...

, and

Airstream Airstream is an American brand of travel trailer easily recognized by the distinctive shape of its rounded and polished aluminum coachwork. This body shape dates back to the 1930s and is based on the Bowlus Road Chief, an earlier model of the ...

, and has been covered in the press by major publications like The New York Times and Vogue Business, among others.

''Fatima's Great Outdoors''

In 2021, Tariq published her debut children's book, ''Fatima's Great Outdoors,'' through

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was or ...

''.'' The book tells the story of a young Muslim girl whose family goes on their very first camping trip after immigrating to the United States from India. It received positive reviews from publications like NPR's Short Wave,

, and

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tariq, Ambreen American Muslim activists 21st-century American women writers American women writers of Indian descent American fiction writers American women children's writers American children's writers American social justice activists American social media influencers Sierra Club people Year of birth missing (living people) Living people