The 'Unity Blaze'Since launching his company, Black Folks Camp Too, almost 15 months ago, Earl B. Hunter Jr. has been on a mission to get more Black people like himself into the outdoor lifestyle. A sales veteran, it was Hunter’s time at SylvanSport where he was first introduced to RVs and the outdoor lifestyle, and he learned firsthand about the enjoyment and rejuvenation getting outdoors can bring.
He also became acutely aware that outdoor companies were generally not catering to the Black consumer, meaning companies were neglecting a large portion of the population. On the other hand, he knew the attitude of many Blacks when it came to camping was, “That’s white folks’ stuff.” And he understood why: Blacks didn’t always have a positive connotation of getting out into the woods; and no matter where they lived, RVs and campgrounds and the like were often totally foreign to them. The outdoor lifestyle was just not something that most Black people even saw as an option for them because nobody had ever marketed it to them.
That led to the launch of what Hunter now calls “his legacy” –Black Folks Camp Too.
Since October 2019 he’s been partnering with businesses such as RV dealers and outdoor companies who believe in his mission. But his new endeavor, he said, could be a big step forward in accelerating that mission.
“We have launched a movement called the Unity Blaze – the Unity Flag,” Hunter said.
The Unity Blaze is the campfire graphic that has always been at the heart of the Black Folks Camp Too logo. It’s now on flags ideal for flying over an RV dealership or an outdoor store and it’s meant to send a message of inclusion.
“Black Folks Camp Too wasn’t created just to get Black folks to camp with Black folks,” he said. “We’re created to get Black folks to camp with any and everybody. The reason why that’s so significant is because one of the reasons that Black folks have not ventured into RVing or ventured into the outdoors is the same reason why we need to have a symbol – to show that they don’t have to be afraid.”
RV dealers have been hesitant to go after the Black market, Hunter said, possibly because they just don’t know how to.
Flying the Unity Blaze flag, which Black Folks Camp Too sells for $1,200, is one way to start, he said, adding that he hopes the flag becomes symbolic of a dealership, or a business or even a campground that says, “We get it, and we want to change the status quo.”
“What the Unity Blaze means is, treat everyone everywhere equally,” he said. “It don’t matter who you are – black, white, green or yellow – when you see that flag, when you see those patches, when you see those stickers, you know that the people who are wearing those patches, flying that flag, have that sticker on their car, they align with treating everyone everywhere equally.
“Our job is for dealers and campgrounds and everyone – not just in the RV industry but in the outdoor industry – to adopt the Unity Blaze as their symbol to say, ‘Look, everyone is welcome here.’ Because right now, everyone doesn’t feel welcome.”
The purchase of the flag will help fund the mission of Black Folks Camp Too in an important way, Hunter said. He and his small, South Carolina-based team are working on developing an online digital platform that will focus on educating the Black consumer about the outdoors – everything from campfire etiquette to how to obtain financing for a fifth wheel.
Hunter said he believes education about camping – and RVs – needs to be a critical part of his business model and believes that once Blacks are introduced to the lifestyle, many of them will respond and develop the same love for the outdoors that he did.
“Now, they’ll want to come onto the lot, and they want to buy an RV, because they’re not afraid to do that anymore,” Hunter said.
He is upfront about some RV dealers he has visited being turned off by his message, but he has found that after a conversation, some of those same people turn into converts and supporters.
“(Sometimes) when they see ‘Black Folks’ in front of anything, that goes against their grain. They look at it like we’re trying to change what they’re doing rather than enhance what they’re doing,” Hunter said.
He knew when he founded the company he was fighting an uphill battle, Hunter said. As odd as it sounds, marketing the great outdoors to Black people is something that really hasn’t been done before on a widespread basis. But in conversation one gets a sense the 44-year-old loves the challenge.
“My job right now is to continue getting content (for the digital platform), continue bringing companies on board, continue to go and hit dealer to dealer to dealer, driving to dealers trying to sell them our flag and tell them what we’re doing,” Hunter said. “I’ve got a lot of dealers saying yes, and I’ve got a lot of dealers that are not responding. And that’s OK. My job is to keep pushing.”
If he has his wish, there will be a lot more dealerships, outdoor stores and even campgrounds flying the Unity Blaze proudly in 2021, he said.
“We’re kind of doing a push and a pull,” Hunter said. “We’re pushing folks to the dealerships by educating them, and dealers are pulling them in by showing them, with the Unity Blaze flag, that they are welcome to their location.”
And, he emphasizes, by “they are welcome,” he means not just Black people, but everyone.
“I want to bring harmony around the campfire. I don’t want to just see Black folks over there camping with Black folks in their group and white folks just camping with white folks in their group,” Hunter said. “I want to see white folks and Black folks and everybody together, man. So we can have a conversation. So we can talk about all the things we have going on in our families, in our lives. And that way, we’ll find out that we are all the same.”
