Black Lives Matter: Our Pledge to Act

By The Climbing Initiative | June 3, 2020

TCI Black Lives Matter

Our Pledge to Act

We at The Climbing Initiative have been deeply moved by the recent events in the US. Across the nation, thousands of people are bravely rising up and demanding the right to equality and a restructuring of society. In response, we want to acknowledge the privilege we experience in our home country, abroad, and specifically, in the outdoors. Although we focus on rock climbing, we recognize that inequalities in the outdoor sphere are a reflection of pervasive and entrenched inequalities everywhere. We are deeply pained by the generational trauma and continued injustices inflicted upon people throughout the world as the direct result of white, Western colonialism and privilege.

Our team has spent the past week listening and reflecting on how we can meaningfully support Black Americans not just in our words, but in our actions.

  • We have written to climbing brands asking them to take a public stance against racism and increase the visibility of people of color in their images and messaging.

  • We have donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and we will continue making donations to organizations fighting for positive change.

  • We have signed our names to petitions calling for the arrest of officers involved in unjust killings.

  • We will promote the work of those who are creating tools for anti-racism learning and action in the outdoors as well as in society more broadly.

  • We are continuing our work to elevate diverse voices not often heard in the world of climbing through storytelling and research.

  • We pledge to use our voice as an organization and as individuals to call out racism and bias in the world around us.

Thank you to those who have been fighting day in and day out on these issues, not just during these most recent events but for the centuries that this unethical system has been in place.

Ways You Can Act