The violence experienced at SHIFT is for white people to take action against, and yet, over and over again, it’s BIWOC and Queer BIPOC that are on the frontlines. I want to give immense gratitude and praise to the 17 individuals who came forward to stand up for themselves and to not take shit any longer. Yes, it’s true, any movement we support should have BIWOC at the helm, but in this case, the people harmed were forced to take action when it could have been prevented. It gets to this point because white people don’t listen and believe BIWOC and Queer BIPOC in the FIRST place.

#StopGlorifyingJohnMuir and support Indigenous Women Hike and Terra Incognita Media!

We cannot turn a blind eye. We cannot say there are “two sides to every story.” There are no two sides to racism. Ever. We cannot be silent while our siblings in this industry experience re-trauamatization. We cannot hide behind our white fragility and center our discomfort, while our BIPOC siblings put not only their careers on the line, but their bodies and lives on the line. In honor of co-liberation we all need to demand justice alongside those who have been targeted and most impacted by Christian Beckwith’s violent actions.

White people have always decided what is “natural,” as well as who “naturally” belongs and who doesn’t. John Muir did not do “some powerful work for conservation and parks.” He co-founded the Sierra Club and worked to ensure that Ahwahnee became Yosemite National Park — these structures are tools that maintain power for a few (white people, particularly white men), as well as perpetuate gatekeeping (the practice of limiting and controlling resources). National Parks are active tools in ongoing indigenous genocide.

On the podcast Hoodrat to Headwrap, in the episode called “Diversity and Inclusion is for White People: Beyond Bruno Mars and the Love of Light Skin, Ericka Hart talks about the phenomenon of “chocolate chipping” and how this plays out in white organizations when they say they want to be more diverse and inclusive, and we notice the same trend happening in the outdoor industry. Find out how white dominated organizations can work to be truly inclusive and anti-racist.

This isn’t about being “culturally and racially insensitive.” This is about white supremacy and how we white women keep our positions of power and comfort by co-opting the work of Black women, Indigenous women, and women of color.

In a society the polices women’s bodies right down to the food they eat, to hear a cis white man assert so definitively that female-bodied people “shouldn’t” eat eggs made my chill go bankrupt.

Racism and ongoing colonization is difficult to overturn largely in part because as white people we don’t realize that our efforts to find “spiritual enlightenment,” or to “just have fun,” or to “explore,” or “recreate,” is coming at a compounded cost to others.

Imagining a world that extends beyond normalizing and affirming structures of oppression and injustice means that we are going to need to hold people accountable for not just their actions, but their words. Some “jokes” are not funny.

You can get an ear-full of education by listening to the right podcasts. Here is a brief list of the podcasts that are changing the way we see the world and imagine a more equitable future.

 Free Solo is an attempt to complexify the narrative of not just climbing, but particularly free soloing, and not just free soloing, but the nation’s most recognized free soloist. The film indeed added complexity to free soloing and Alex Honnold, but it revealed layers that it probably didn’t intend on exposing. The written accounts coming out about the film divulge a repetitive and classic trope about White men.

In 2016, associate editor of The Inertia, Dylan Heyden, wrote an article titled, “Is the World Famous Shaka A Form of Cultural Appropriation?” Spoiler: this isn’t even a question.

Practicing anti-racism in our workplaces, at festivals, at community gatherings, at home, even at our favorite national parks is key to creating a safer community for all because the violence of racism does not disappear in the woods or mountains. It’s there in our conversations, in our actions, and in our beliefs. The unintentional racism of the outdoor industry is just as hostile as the racism of the people who are lighting their Nikes on fire. We need to make visible how we White people have been conditioned from living in a White supremacist culture. Without examining our patterns, assumptions, beliefs, and actions, we will not achieve the authentic community that we say we want. We compiled a list of resources for those who want to learn more about how to dismantle White supremacy and create truly inclusive and equitable spaces.

Jolie Varela of Indigenous Women Hike after completing her journey of traveling and reclaiming the Nüümü Poyo: “We grow stronger every day. Every Native baby born, every Indigenous person relearning their language, every ceremony is an act of defiance against colonization. I think Indigenous women are the future and healing of this world. I hope Indigenous Women Hike inspires other Natives who aren’t already practicing their rights to our lands to do so. I hope this opens people’s eyes and they begin to understand our rights as Indigenous people to practice ceremony on our lands without permission.”

We have built our lives on top of a completely false human invention: Whiteness. Our belief and commitment to the construct of Whiteness keeps this supremacist nation going. Does that mean we have built our entire society, the schools, the hospitals, the businesses, the restaurants, the parks, the pools, the grocery stores, on a lie?