Gabriel Patterson

“
My name is Gabriel Patterson and I was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM. I lived the life of a western cowboy from ages 8-15, while also playing ice hockey and soccer throughout middle school and high school. I attended Colorado College in 2009 where I discovered rock climbing and telemark skiing. To this day, rock climbing is my go-to form of exercise, meditation, body and mind consciousness; it is where I find my peace and accomplishment. It is where I feel good at something. I practice yoga as well, which is the perfect balance to strenuous muscle and tendon work.

I have a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry from UC Davis. The majority of my life I have existed in predominantly white spaces and places. While I generally feel comfortable and have learned to navigate such spaces as climbing gyms, yoga studios, higher education and STEM classrooms, I have always been the only person of color, or in some rare cases one of a few persons of color. I continue to struggle with my own issues of identity and authenticity as a Black, lighter-skinned male in these spaces. It took me years to figure out how I could give back to my community and encourage participation and representation of persons of color in the spaces that I had grown to love. In May 2018 I launched my organization named Soul Ascension Crew: a Northern California group for POC in climbing, outdoor adventure, and environmental stewardship. Shortly after I was featured in a Melanin Base Camp article, which beautifully told my story to date. Participation in WeGotNext as an ambassador is an obvious next step for me. I am eager to be part of this beautiful work.

I identify as a Black male: My father is Black, my mother is mixed Black and White. "Half Black" has always been offensive to me, because if we're getting down to the math, then that isn't the case for me. I suppose mixed is the most correct :)”