“Parece Que Están Dándote Una Bienvenida” : Testimonios of Chicana/o Families Sense of Belonging Through Nature

This study aims to deconstruct racialized hetero-normative narratives of the outdoors and “hold space” (Cairo, 2021 ) for Latine stories and perspectives. Environmentalism and social structures are deeply intertwined; therefore, addressing racial disparities for communities of color is crucial for attaining justice for our natural world and the people within (Ybarra, 2016 ). The purpose of this study is to explore how the natural world influences Chicana/o families’ sense of belonging within their communities. This study uses testimonios (Silva et al., 2021 ) as a methodology coupled with a LatCrit (Solorzano & Yosso, 2001a ) theoretical framework to develop Chicana/o counterstories that intervene against colonial and white supremacist constructions of “Nature.” Data generation included intergenerational family interviews (garnering testimonios ) around sense of belonging through nature. Results include curated excerpts that reflect core ideas of belonging, connection to the land, and experiences of injustice among Latine families participating in outdoor youth activities. These testimonios reflected experiences of both societal belonging and exclusion within the context of Latine engagement with natural spaces in the United States. The testimonios end with consejos: words of wisdom for future generations. The study concludes with reflexive poems comprised of the testimonios shared using antropoesía .