History created: First all-Black American team summits Mount Everest

The Full Circle Everest team not only reached the summit but also made history. At least in part, the nine mountaineers striving to be the first all-Black team to summit Mount Everest have succeeded. Around midnight EDT, word arrived that the American/Kenyan team had reached the summit (GMT-4).

The Full Circle Everest team became the first all-Black American expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest. It is the world’s highest mountain above sea level. Months of fundraising, years of planning, preparation, training, and travel went into the team’s achievement.

In a post on Full Circle Everest’s Instagram, team leader Phil Henderson said, “I am deeply honored to report that seven members of the Full Circle Everest team reached the summit today (May 12). While a few members, including myself, did not summit, all members of the climb and sherpa teams have safely returned to Base Camp where we will celebrate this historic moment!”

On Thursday, Manoah Ainuu (a professional climber for The North Face), Eddie Taylor, Rosemary Saal, Demond Mullins, Thomas Moore, James “KG” Kagami, and Evan Green of the Full Circle Everest team reached the summit of Mount Everest. The North Face and the VF Foundation, among other sponsors, funded Henderson and the rest of the team. It also included Frederick Campbell and Abby Dione.

Full Circle Everest creates History

“We’re all Black people. There is a lack of representation of Black people in mountaineering and in high-altitude mountaineering,” Henderson told NPR in a 2021 interview. “There’s so few of us at this level that it’s our duty, in a sense, to bring this to our communities, to our young people and talk about the benefits of being outdoors and connecting with nature and having a healthy lifestyle throughout their lives.”

According to a press release from The North Face, Pasang Nima Sherpa, Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa, Phurtemba Sherpa, Dawa Chhiri Sherpa, Sonam Gaylje Sherpa, Nima Nuru Sherpa, Chopal Sherpa, Chawang Lhendup Sherpa, Tasha Gyalje Sherpa, Amrit Ale, Pemba Sherpa (camera crew) and Nawang Tenji Sherpa (camera crew), likewise supported the team in their climb to the summit.

The first expeditions to Mount Everest were in 1921 and 1953, respectively. Tenzing Norgay, a Nepali Sherpa climber, and Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander, became the first people to summit Mount Everest. Sibusiso Vilane of South Africa was the first Black man to the summit in 2003. Sophia Danenberg of the United States was also the first African American and Black woman to the summit in 2006.

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