Marinel De Jesus, founder of Equity Global Treks, went from being a civil rights lawyer to becoming a champion of women porters and guides and their communities.
Back in 2016, a woman by the name of Marinel de Jesus left her job as a civil rights lawyer to travel the world. She took up the mantle Brown Gal Trekker, lived up to that name by covering vast distances, began sharing her experiences and, ironically, found herself doing the same work she left behind.
She is back to championing the disadvantaged. The only difference is, she no longer does this in the confines of a courtroom.
Born in the Philippines and raised in the United States, De Jesus is best known these days as a social entrepreneur and an interesting figure in the world of outdoor tourism. Under her chosen moniker (which she shares with her website) she has made a name for herself as a tourism expert designing unique travel experiences that also tend to advocate for women and indigenous people. This wasn’t originally her plan. For the former Washington, D.C. prosecutor, trekking and conquering new heights began as a journey of self-discovery. But on the mountains she scaled, she didn’t just find higher ground, she found a higher purpose.
And it seems that she’ll be sticking with this for a long time—even as she moves from place to place.
How the Journey Began
Before becoming the woman that she is today, De Jesus’ life focused heavily on a legal career pursued to please her parents: Filipino immigrants who moved her to the United States when she was 13.
After her mother passed, however, she realized that life is too short and that she wanted something more from it. Hence, her decision to indulge in her longtime goal of traveling. This led her to start the Brown Gal Trekker website, a digital platform which documented her adventures and provided honest, firsthand information on the places she visited. Going deeper into her passion, she then launched her own mountain trekking company in 2016 named Peak Explorations.
Her journey, however, led her to some unattractive sights. As a brown traveler who has seen the mountains and interacted with communities, she saw how women of color are underrepresented in the tourism industry. Years of interacting with them made her realize how their voices remain on the sidelines.
“Women who looked like me were few and far between,” she said. “Most narratives about women, people of color, and indigenous communities predominantly perpetuate Western-centric viewpoints that are absurdly outdated and untrue.”
With this, she decided to play her part in elevating the travel industries. The mission was to decolonize it. And this was expressed when she rebranded her company to Equity Global Treks.
Taking steps to elevate tourism
Equity Global Treks is anchored on three pillars: Women-Focused, Workforce Equity & Community Led.
With these guiding principles, De Jesus curates tours that are attentive and empowering.
“Most of the treks I offer are led by female guides, and in some cases, they also involve the participation of female porters,” she said. “I also allow local people in the destination to lead the tours themselves without using a ‘trip leader’ who is often a foreigner.”
One of the standout programs she takes pride in is the award-winning Khusvegi English & Nomadic Culture Camp in Mongolia. This 30-day cultural immersion program is her prime example of community-led tourism. “The leadership and ownership of the program are shifted back to the local community,” De Jesus noted.
Her advocacy extends beyond the treks themselves. De Jesus is committed to raising public awareness about the human rights issues in tourism. “I aim to bridge the gap between the realities that local people face and the tourists’ knowledge of the issues or lack thereof,” she said.
Pursuit of this mission has taken shape in various forms including the documentary film KM 82: The Porter Voices of Peru’s Camino Inca, a story that sheds light on the work inequities faced by porters on the famous Inca Trail.
“This issue has been ongoing for more than 50 years with very few changes in the industry to create an equitable standard of work for them,” she said.
The film supports the mission of the human rights organization De Jesus founded in 2019, The Porter Voice Collective (PVC.) PVC utilizes storytelling and media to educate the public about the human rights and labor rights issues that porters face in the trekking tourism industry of Peru, Nepal & Tanzania.
Creating a new path
The travel industry has historically been less inclusive, and De Jesus is open to addressing the challenges head-on. “The industry lacks self-awareness when it comes to the systemic oppression that persists,” she said. She evaluates the performative nature of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. For her, it often elevates the messenger rather than those truly affected by the oppressive systems.
Adding to that, she noted that creating meaningful change requires the industry to embrace discomfort. “The industry must learn to be comfortable with the discomfort that comes with DEI issues,” she asserted, stating that this can foster a safer space for open dialogue.
Moreover, with years of extensive research and interaction with communities, De Jesus saw discrimination and harassment of female guides and porters. These cases are often particular in Peru, Nepal, and Tanzania.
“Culturally speaking, women are discouraged from becoming guides and porters,” she explained. Thus, whenever possible, her organization partners with female-owned tour agencies to empower women and their livelihoods.
In light of their research in Nepal with female guides, they also provided field training for one female Nepali guide whom they selected for their Himalayan Women Leaders on the Trail campaign, which was completed in Spring 2024. The campaign was meant to elevate women’s roles and promote gender equity in Nepal’s trekking tourism industry.
Mingmar Dolma Sherpa, the female guide they sponsored, successfully completed most of the commercial sections of the Great Himalayan Trail. This feat advanced her experiences and training as a trekking guide. And she is just one of the many people De Jesus has taken to new heights.
For her, storytelling and media are powerful tools for advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. And as a content creator, she keeps this in mind when publishing her works to elevate her audience.
Her work, whether through documentary films or travel writing, seeks to raise awareness and amplify the voices of those who are often marginalized. It is a path often met with challenges but she doesn’t relent.
“You can always create a new path when what you’re looking for doesn’t exist,” she advised.
That’s what she did years ago when she started in 2016. And she has gotten far since then.
