“That’s White People Shit”
Angelique Allen
“That’s white people shit” - a large subset of racial minorities when talking about:
Climbing
Snowboarding
Skiing
Hiking
Swimming
Surfing
Mountaineering
SCUBA diving
Biking
While I cannot completely explain why these people feel this way, I can say that representation and accessibility (or lack thereof) are large contributors to this feeling.
While there are some climbing icons who are racial minorities, like Nina Williams, Ashima Shiraishi, and Ky Lightner, to name a few, these are only household names if you live with climbers. If you don’t, it’s Alex Honnold, maybe Tommy Caldwell, and possibly Conrad Anker. Similar to how we think of Micheal Phelps, Shawn White, Kelly Slater, Niel Armstrong, and Katie Ledecky.
The list of names that are tossed around when casually talking about these sports, and the names that come up when you google ‘best in XYZ sport’, is dominated by white people. This supports the idea that these sports are for white people. And if you walk into your local climbing gym, drive to the nearest mountain, go to the closest surf shop, or walk along your neighborhood trail, and you only see white people, you are going to assume that activity and space are only for white people.
When you look at the sports that have the lowest percentage of white players, you may notice that they require the least number of resources. You never hear people say that track, football, soccer, or basketball are for white people. These sports really only require space, sometimes a ball, and a hoop if you want to practice specific skills. You can progress at these sports with nothing but a driveway, which cannot be said for sports in the same general genre that require more resources (like golf, tennis, softball), or any of the sports previously mentioned. These sports require a ridiculous amount of financial investment- whether that be climbing gym passes, ropes, ski passes... this list could really go on for the entire length of Choss. These sports also require community resources, like a climbing gym or pool to go to, a way to get to the crag or mountain since public transportation rarely goes that far into nature, and a store to buy warm outdoor clothes and gear at.
As you read this, I hope the word ‘systemic boundaries’ comes to mind. The outdoor and climbing industries are just two of many places you can find systemic boundaries against racial minorities. They’re actually everywhere, and while there are efforts to dismantle them, these efforts are like using a toothbrush to break mounds of granite as if they were plaque. I say this not to suggest that these efforts are not worthy, they are actually a lifeline for many individuals and are so essential to the communities they serve, but rather to describe how vast and limiting these systemic boundaries are. How all-consuming the boundaries can be, both inside and outside of outdoor recreation. There are times where over the course of a few days I have gone to work on campus, to the climbing gym, hiking at Spencer's butte, climbing at Smith, and I have not seen a single other black person. For work, there are times where I go to conferences where there are 5,000 people in a room and all of them pass the brown paper bag test, meaning their skin color is lighter than a brown paper bag and they would not be turned away from community events and desirable jobs solely based on appearance in the 20th century (this half a sentence does not give tell you everything you need to know about this racist practice, and I’d encourage you to look it up).
Now, as an individual who is part of the climbing community, how can you help?
Combat the idea that occupying space in the outdoors is “white people shit” by encouraging non-white people to get outside. Don’t let the conversation end because you feel a little uncomfortable about discussing race in this way.
Highlight minorities who are occupying space in areas where we don’t often see them - whether that be in climbing or elsewhere. The easiest way to do this is through social media, but you can get creative.
On a somewhat related note- I am doing exactly this for scientists from historically excluded groups by self-publishing a children’s book called Dreams of a Scientist: Lessons from the Sea. You can learn more about this project, meet the 20 active scientists we are highlighting, and preorder the book via the QR code.
Share your gear, knowledge, and day passes to counteract the financial and community burden and barriers.
Encourage your friends to go to BIPOC nights that Elevation and Circuit host so they can feel represented in the community
Think about what representation means to you. What does accessibility mean to you? How do these two intersect in climbing?
According to Meriam-webster dictionary, accessibility means capable of being reached, used, seen, understood, or appreciated. It also means that something is easy to speak or deal with
Representation means someone or something that represents an artistic likeness or image or statement made to influence opinion. The word represent is is defined as giving a clear understanding or impression of, describing clearly, serving as a symbol, or including people/perspectives from a given group (especially one that has historically been excluded or discriminated against).
Representation is also defined as the action or fact of one person standing for another so as to have the rights and obligations of the person represented, and lastly the inclusion of characters, perspectives, etc. from such groups.