Meet the Founders
Meet the Founders, zahra Alabanza and Paris Hatcher
zahra and Paris somewhere bike touring along the Pacific Coast Highway, 2008.
After 6 years of leading bike tours across the US and Canada, zahra and Paris co-founded Black Freedom Outfitters. Both wanderlust by nature, awestruck by the great outdoors, and deeply rooted in amplifying Black excellence, zahra and Paris wanted to share their love for bike tour magic wildness by making outdoor adventures as accessible, engaging, and amazing for all who dare! Black Freedom Outfitters is their wild child nurtured in love.
zahra alabanza
zahra was born in San Francisco, raised in Hawaii, made by adventuring the world and now resides in the DirtySouth, ATL to be exact. She is a mother, organizer, creative and adventure. A project starting, wandering, overlover and outdoor junkie. She has happily resorted to enjoying life the way she did when she was 13 years old, unapologetically with tons of play. Currently, she utilizes outdoor adventure, biking, growing food, yoga(ing), and being a creative to bring people together. These community organizing efforts are also used to enhance physical and mental wellness, economic vitality and environmental stewardship among Black Folks.
She has bike toured in the USA, Central America and Indonesia, annually treks a section of the Appalachian trail, adventured into the Australian outback, received her PADI scuba diving certification in the Philippines, jumped out a perfectly good plane, back country hiked in California with a ton more adventuring to do.
Paris Hatcher
Paris is a lover of life, adventure, the earth, and all things magical from Greensboro, NC. Paris comes to Black Freedom Outfitters as an organizer following the traditions of Nanny of the Maroons, Harriet Tubman, and Audre Lorde; firmly believing in the power of building transformative communities where we all can thrive.
Paris has planned and completed 6 amazing long distance bike tours(New Orleans→ Atlanta; Eugene, OR → San Francisco; Chicago → Detroit; Durham, NC→ Toronto; Washington, DC → Brooklyn; and Atlanta ---> Combahee River) all which have solidified her commitment to bike tour and most importantly imparting more Black folks with the skills and knowledge to survive and thrive. She has tapped chicle trees in Guatemala, hiked in the rainforest of Belize, snorkeled in gorgeous waters across the world, and hiked a many mountain and camped in some fun places.