Camping is for White People…
Duane (Wayne) Lewis is a young adventurer from Detroit, Michigan. He is the founder of BIG CAMP—an organization dedicated to breaking down stereotypes of what campers look like. Big Camp creates opportunities for Black and Brown people to experience the positive impact of nature on physical and spiritual health.
Photo provided by Duane Lewis. Digital Artwork by David A. Paul, MD. Copyright Bold & Gritty, LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
When you sit down with Duane (Wayne) Lewis from Wild Big Camp you get the sense that you are in the presence of a man who has seen the world—it’s something about his eyes—the way he focuses on a room and the people in it. He has this worldly ability to just be present, which is apparent to anyone who is fortunate enough to spend time with him. Wayne’s “presence” is a reflection of his love for nature and the experiences that continue to bring him back to the land. He is an Air Force veteran who spent time in Kuwait and Afghanistan. Growing up, he watched the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. He has always had a fascination with nature. Though, it wasn’t until his adult years that Wayne’s love for the outdoors came full circle with Wild Big Camp—a group dedicated to breaking down stereotypes of what campers look like.
Duane Lewis, Wild Big Camp. Photo provided by Duane Lewis.
That journey started with a clothing and party brand called Wild Boyz. The brand supported Wayne through his undergraduate years at Grand Valley State University, where he studied advertising and public relations. As Wayne neared graduation, he really leaned into the clothing side of the business—designing pieces inspired by Park Ranger uniforms. He sewed brand patches onto uniquely designed uniforms that gave life to his long-standing passion for nature conservation. He created this whole vibe that was supported by a community of fashion-forward minorities.
A Wild Boyz brand relaunch in 2020 inspired him to take these ideas to a whole new level. If they were going to do pieces inspired by Park Rangers, he wanted to shoot brand content at National Parks. It’s one thing to pose as a conservationist—and another thing to actually spend time living out the brand mission. The first Wild Big Camp was simply that—a small group of Wild Boyz supporters, creatives, and predominantly Black and Brown individuals who hopped in a car and set out to explore the West. They visited Yellowstone and Zion National Parks, among many other notable places.
After the trip, Wayne realized, “That was refreshing, that was peaceful, that was something that I never experienced—a vacation filled with peaceful nothingness.” Wayne describes “feeling restored and more connected with what God created,” and he wanted others to feel that way too. This is because being from Detroit, Wayne was constantly surrounded by a negative stigma regarding nature, “even though BIPOC people were the original agriculturalists and developers of this land in the first place”—says Wayne.
“We were stripped of the land over time, so I wanted to reconnect minorities to that part of us that we have been disconnected from.”
Duane Lewis, Wild Big Camp. Photo provided by Carbon Stories
It was this battle against an idea that “camping is for white people,”—and if you did go outside you had to reckon with the prospect of being told by your mom that, “you smell like outside—like you’ve been running around in the grass or something.” Wayne goes on to emphasize that, “we were stripped of the land over time, so I wanted to reconnect minorities to that part of us that we have been disconnected from.”
It was this experience that gave rise to Wild Big Camp—an organization that sponsors trips across the United States and brings BIPOC individuals closer to nature. If that wasn’t enough, Wayne found a way to connect the trip to his other love—marketing and design. His experience shooting content for Wild Boyz opened his eyes to the possibility of creating authentic content for other brands and organizations that highlights Black People in the outdoors. He has been able to get sponsorships from large brands like Merrel through his work with West Michigan creative agency—Carbon Stories. The sponsorships create an ecosystem that feeds his ability to expose more individuals to the outdoors.
His trips are often fueled by coffee—taken black without cream or sugar. He drinks more coffee when he is camping—and gets “juiced up after that.” He is most excited about Bold & Gritty’s Steeped Coffee Bags—a fully compostable single serve coffee option that only requires hot water. For Wayne, that means traveling with less equipment—no need to worry about grinding the beans, dealing with a French press or other finicky coffee accessories. The coffee is steeped like tea, and even the outer packaging is Eco-friendly. He is also excited to plan a Northeast trip that includes Upstate, New York.
Wayne has accomplished more (in under 30 years of life) than most people could imagine doing in a lifetime. When asked how he does it all, he credits his success to his mom—who he calls his, “Superhero.” Growing up in a single-parent home in Detroit, she made sure they lacked for nothing. She set the example and gave him the freedom to be different. Now he is on a mission to help others find that same freedom in the outdoors.
About Bold and Gritty - Black Coffee. Black Culture. Black Stories.
We have this crazy idea that by honoring Black people’s contributions to the history of coffee and using it as a vehicle to tell inspiring stories from our neighborhoods – that we can liberate a group of people and inspire them to be the change they want to see in the world. From creators to doctors, we are fueling a Bold and Gritty Revolution - curating stories that elevate the culture.
We highlight successful Black Men ages 18-40, who embody what it means to be Bold and Gritty. Black coffee is the vehicle for sharing these stories. If you or someone you know embodies these core values and would like to use our platform to shine a light on #Blackmale excellence and encourage future Bold and Gritty men, please fill out our feature application.
