The Daily - June 11,2022 - 24

FEATURE
Left: Thomas
Moore (left) and
Pemba Sherpa.
Right: Philip Henderson
(right)
and his wife,
Brenda Okanga.
inclusion, the Full Circle Everest
team aimed to make a bold statement
to demonstrate the agency of
people of color to achieve this lofty
goal through their best efforts as
a community. With the financial
support of many sponsors including
The North Face, Smartwool,
Scarpa, Black Diamond, and
others, Henderson and his team
were able to marshal the resources
they needed to do what had never
been done before.
Prior to this expedition, of the
10,654 known climbers who have
summited Everest, only six were
Black. Sibusiso Vilane was the
first on May 26, 2003. Sophia
Danenberg of Seattle, Washington,
reached the summit of Everest on
May 19, 2006, as the first Black
woman and the only Black American.
Then came Nadir Dendoune
of France in 2008, Rohan Freeman
of Jamaica in 2009, Saray
N'kusi Khumalo of South Africa in
24
THE NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
WILL CREATE AN EXHIBIT TO COMMEMORATE
THE FULL CIRCLE EVEREST
EXPEDITION AS PART OF THE LONG ROAD
TO FREEDOM FOR BLACK AMERICANS.
2019, and Aretha Duarte of Brazil
in 2021. With the addition of the
Full Circle Everest Expedition, the
number of Black climbers to ascend
to the summit has now more
than doubled.
" The whole idea was to inspire a
generation of Black people who believe
in no limitations, who believe
that they can do anything that is
near impossible, " said Vilane upon
hearing the news of the Full Circle
Everest summit success. " They
went out there and proved what
I've always been an advocate for. It
is very profound. It is very inspir/
OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2022
ing. It is very humbling. But it just
goes to show that it is true what I've
always believed-that Black people
can achieve just like anybody else.
We are inferior to none. "
Throughout the social media
landscape, followers of the Full Circle
Everest Expedition have lauded
the team with praise and adulation
for its accomplishment. Black and
brown folks especially have shared
their excitement for having this
high-profile event organized by
Henderson to represent the positive
lived experiences of people from
their community in the outdoors.
" Representation is important
not only for participation, but also
for leadership. Phil Henderson
has been someone I have greatly
respected and recognized as a
leader who always showed that,
with the right support and timing,
you can make dreams a reality, "
says Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor
Afro, a national organization
that encourages Black people to
spend time outside. " Phil has led
trips and summited mountains
years before Outdoor Afro started.
His recent accomplishment is one
more step toward the ordinary
instead of the exception of Black
people being strong, beautiful, and
free in nature. "
To that point, we cannot presume
that this single expedition,
though successful, means that the
goal of diversity, equity, and inclusion
in the outdoor industry has at
last been achieved. Like mountaineering
itself, reaching the summit
JAMES EDWARD MILLS
The Daily - June 11,2022

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