Affinity Clinic – Sherman Neal II
My name is Sherman Neal II and I am a Marine Corps veteran, attorney, filmmaker, and social justice advocate. My personal and professional goals revolve around building equitable, ethical, and innovative campaigns that result in more resilient communities. At present, I am committed to doing that work as the Deputy Campaign Director for Sierra Club Military Outdoors in addition to serving as an agent/advisor for college athletes.
In August of 2023 I was invited on a trip that changed the trajectory of my life — the 2023 Team River Runner Affinity Clinic. I had never been whitewater boating, I hadn’t previously been involved with the organization, and I had never enjoyed the outdoors with such a diverse group. I learned quite a bit about myself floating down the Lower Salmon River and sleeping under the stars. I learned from every conversation with other participants (in addition to the goodness that comes with challenging yourself in ways only getting dumped out of an IK in a Class IV rapid can…) and I left a firm believer that TRR has a special opportunity to leverage the outdoors to develop minority leaders in the veteran community and I am excited to create similar opportunities to what I experienced on the Lower Salmon that bring joy and healing to veterans in ways they may not have otherwise thought possible.
“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” – Desmond Tutu