Photo: Getty Images
A group of Black mountain climbers made history this week, becoming the first-ever all-Black group to reach the top of Mount Everest.
The seven-member Full Circle Everest Expedition group reached the world's tallest summit on Thursday (May 12), making history as the first of its kind to stand on the mountain top together. Out of the 4,000 people who've reached the top of Mount Everest, only eight have been Black –– until now.
That's one of the reasons this group of climbers and mountaineers formed, not just to spend time in the outdoors but to change the narrative about Black people being in nature.
"Our team represents our community and are building blocks for greater representation of the climbing community and the outdoors," the team said on its GoFundMe fundraising page. "This expedition will permanently change the future of mountaineering on a global scale."
Full Circle's successful climb comes 16 years and seven days after Sophia Danenberg made history as the first Black person to reach the top of Mount Everest. The group's climbers are named as: Eddie Taylor, Frederick Campbell, James Kagambi, Desmund Mullins, Manoah Ainuu, Abby Dione, Rosemary Saal, Thomas Moore, and Philip Henderson, and eight Sherpa guides.
Full Circle member Abby Dione says the group seeks to de-colonize Mount Everest climbs by showing respect to Sherpa guides and local Nepalis.
"Our goal here is to help folks aspire to have a profound and respectful relationship with the outdoors and feel not entitled to it, but welcome to it," Dione told CNN. "If you see it can be done, you can do it right."
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