Climbing
The Full Circle expedition made history yesterday becoming the first all black climbing team to summit the highest mountain on earth. Seven members of the group reached the summit of Everest yesterday morning, confirmed the Himalayan Times.
“The Full Circle Everest team led by Philip Henderson from California has made history as the first all-black team to stand atop the summit, the highest mountain on earth.”
– Jiban Ghimire, Managing Director at Shangri-La Nepal Treks
As of 2020, there had been more than 10,000 summits of the mountain yet only eight of those were black climbers. The Full Circle expedition hopes to permanently change the future of mountaineering on a global scale.
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In 1963, the first American expedition reached the summit of Everest. That same year Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” speech. It took forty more years for the first Black climber to summit Everest. Still, there has never been an all-Black team to summit the tallest mountain on Earth—until now. The Full Circle Everest Team represents a zenith in generational perseverance. This expedition will showcase the tenacity and strength of these climbers, and highlight the barriers that continue to exist for Black communities in accessing the outdoors. This historic attempt will inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, educators, leaders, and mountaineers of color to continue chasing their personal summits.
