Breaking new ground with every step, Full Circle Everest Expedition follows the first team of Black climbers to attempt a summit of the highest peak on Earth.
Story: James Edward Mills Photos: Evan Green
I’ve been writing for years about Nomadness and other Black groups who participate in outdoor activities. I began documenting and covering outdoor after leaving Portland in 2019. During my short stay in the Pacific Northwest I met employees of outdoor brands who felt isolated in their jobs. They understood that we were outside in these places, but they were afraid to vocalize that their companies weren’t “seeing” them.
I don’t want to take away from the source link by adding more to this discussion. If you want to dive into my thoughts on the outdoor industry and Black folks, use the link above. What I want you to do is use the source link at the lead of this post to read the article and check out the photography of this upcoming event. This is beyond marketing by The North Face, and to head off anyone thinking TNF is trying to capitalize, they have been investing in a local gym here in Memphis named Memphis Rox. They took students from the HBCU I used to teach at on an expedition and created a short film of the journey working with Tom Shadyac (who actually brought Memphis Rox to life). This is an important story.
“I believe that this group will actually be the catalyst to changing the literal face of the outdoors,” said team member Thomas Moore. “I think it will be what brings more and more black and brown folks into the outdoors. Just being able to see it, that’s a big deal.”
