Hello, Yosemite

America’s national parks are often framed as a pristine, universal inheritance, yet this narrative frequently obscures the complex histories of displacement, racism, and labor that shaped these landscapes. Yosemite National Park serves as a primary case study, revealing the overlooked contributions of Chinese immigrants who built essential infrastructure and the Buffalo Soldiers who enforced law and order during the nadir of American race relations. While figures like John Muir are celebrated as conservation icons, their legacies are marred by exclusionary views and the erasure of indigenous peoples, such as the Miwok and Paiute, who stewarded these lands for millennia. Navigating the outdoors as an immigrant involves confronting these historical truths alongside personal fears of physical injury and social alienation. Ultimately, reconciling the beauty of these spaces with their violent pasts requires a more inclusive, honest storytelling that centers the diverse communities historically excluded from the American wilderness.