by Shall Burt
April 2, 2025
Alex and Angelica Young’s Camp Legacy after is the culmination of ‘a lifelong goal’ to create a safe space for youth to experience the great outdoors.
Twin sisters Alex and Angelica Young went viral on TikTok (@43&me) for purchasing 43 acres of Northern California land for their nonprofit Camp Legacy, which is designed for Black youth to experience the great outdoors.
Camp Legacy was born in 2023 after the sisters became “committed to a lifelong goal” of starting a camp as a safe space for young people to take in the world’s wonders outside of city life. Going into its third year, Camp Legacy hosts summer camp sessions on different weekends at a time. With sessions being held in the Bay Area, Alex tells BLACK ENTERPRISE participants can look forward to a weekend of sports, arts and crafts, campfires, archery, camping, music, games and all the s’mores a kid could eat.
However, the twins are looking forward to hosting week-long sessions on their own terms.
That is one of the things that sets Camp Legacy apart from others. Alex says it’s rare to find those capabilities with other camps, often having to rent them out, a major reason why Alex says, “We’re going to do it on our own.”
@fortythreeandme We are building a summer camp for Black youth and are inviting you to join our journey! 🥰🙌🏾❤️ Please ignore the sound quality 😭 #fyp #blackoutdoors #summercamp #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp
Their passion for summer camp culture came while serving as counselors in Virginia after graduating high school. Alex said that she and her sister fell in love and enjoyed seeing the impact on campers but noticed something was missing. “We noticed a lack of diversity amongst the campers and it sparked our interest in providing and expanding the summer camp experience for more youth within the Black community,” Alex said.
There is some truth to that observation. In 2021, a study by the Afterschool Alliance, in collaboration with Edge Research, found 2.3 million parents of Black children said they would enroll their kids if camps were accessible in their area. A structured summer experience is labeled as a summer learning program, sports program, summer camp, or summer school. According to The Seattle Medium, while just 38% of Black families revealed their child participated in a structured summer experience in 2020, cost was identified as a top reason behind Black parents failing to enroll their children.
Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant feels states and sponsoring organizations have “a responsibility to meet the needs of Black youth,” citing the needs for children to excel in other ways beyond the classroom. “More than ever, our kids need academic help, social/emotional support, and opportunities to engage with peers and caring adults, be physically active, and have fun this summer,” Grant told The Seattle Medium.
Alex and Angelica feel the same. Comments from more than 5,000 followers support the ideology. A number were warm wishes for success and to carry on. Other comments showed similar camps being potentially open in states like Kansas.
Going into the summer months, the Youngs are preparing for some returning campers and paying attention to some parents and adults looking for the twins to create a camp with a more “grown experience.” While there is still a ton of work to be done, Alex and Angelica reveal the overwhelming amount of support shows how important it is to create a space for Black youth to explore the outdoors.
“This year, we have a good amount of returning campers sign up, which shows us that this program is important and is hopefully making a lasting impact on campers,” Alex says. “We are looking to expand our impact so that the ‘summer camp’ narrative is more common with the Black community, even if some folks missed it as kids.”
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