Equity & Inclusion Committee

A Board committee to identify and resource systematic ways to promote equity and inclusion and break down barriers to participation at The Mountaineers.

At The Mountaineers, we believe a diverse and inclusive outdoors inspires unity, respect, and passion for the places we love (as reflected in our core values). We aspire to offer outdoor opportunities for ALL, and in order to realize this aspiration, we must will take a critical look at our internal systems and processes to discuss inequities that keep The Mountaineers from being a place where all people from various backgrounds and life experiences can experience the outdoors.

OUR COMMITMENT

As we embark on this work, we have been cautioned that our approach will need to be broad, multi-level, and org-wide with a focus on long-term, systematic, and cultural changes (while also making immediate, short-terms improvements). We also have been advised that being persistent yet patient is important - we need to move forward boldly yet with intention. We are not here to simply check a box and pat ourselves on the back, and we acknowledge that an uncomfortable road lies ahead.

We acknowledge that these conversations may make some people feel uncomfortable and the work may seem unproductive or slow moving at times. However, as we’ve engaged in this work, we have learned that progress cannot always be measured on a linear scale, and it’s important for us to hold space for community conversations.

We are committed to owning the past failures and current realities of The Mountaineers with humility and honesty. We commit to ask questions as opportunities to learn, not to defend our actions, and to assume best intentions from each member of our community. This won’t always be easy and by committing to this work we know we’ll make mistakes. We appreciate your engagement in this process, and want to acknowledge and thank our community and the members of the committee for their work to benefit The Mountaineers community.

About The E&I committee

The Board of Directors has chartered a E&I Committee to oversee this work. It will create a set of guiding principles, define ‘Diversity’, ‘Equity’, and ‘Inclusion’ for our org (if those are the right words for us), and create mechanisms by which we can make good DEI related decisions org-wide. Once we determine areas of focus, steering committee members will have the opportunity to join and lead (with strong staff support) working groups consisting of other members of this greater committee.

Want to get involved or get updates about this work? Email Kristina Ciari at kristinac@mountaineers.org.

Resources

The most important first step you can take is to spend time with available resource to become knowledgeable about the different factors influencing our life experiences to gain understanding of how you show up in your own life. Then, share these resources with friends and work to change the systems and dominant narrative.

Allyship

The Melanin Base Camp Guide to Outdoor Allyship (10 min read)

Intersectionality

Watch "What Is Intersectionality" (2 mins)

Indigenous

Read "Stop Saying We're A Nation of Immigrants" (5 mins)
Explore native-land.ca to learn about the ancestral lands of your birth, and where you spend time today

Privilege

Watch “Life of Privilege Explained in $100 race” (4 mins)

Racism

Read the short essay "Black Women and the Wilderness" by Evelyn C. White, which appears in the book Names We Call Home: Autobiography on Racial Identity (8 mins)
Listen to the Seeing White Podcast, episode 13 (48 mins) and episode 14 (44 mins)

Sexism

Read “Never Ending List of How Women Protect Themselves” (2 mins)

Unconsious Bias

Microsoft has created a free eLesson in Unconcious Bias. Check it out!
Read "What Implicit bias Means and How It Affects Behavior" (4 mins)

Mountaineers Specific

We held two "Equity & Inclusion Working Sessions" in July 2019. View the "homework" sent to the participants in advance of the workshop.
We held two "Understanding Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion" workshops in spring 2019. View the resources sent to participants before and after the workshop.
Learn about Affinity Groups at the Mountaineers and read about our most recent group, MountainQueers in our magazine. Want to get involved? Find more info here.

Becoming Backwoods Barbie by Bam Mendiola
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome by Sam Ortiz (and you can check out our more community specific blog onImposter Syndrome as well)
Need some tips on having a difficult conversation? Check out Vik Sahney's 2018 Leadership presentation "Through the Crux: Mastering Difficult Conversations".
Think "tolerance" is enough? Check out Katja Hurt's "Moving Beyond Tolerance" guidance sheet.

ADDITIONAL mOUNTAINEERS INFORMATION

We've published a number of pieces over the years on the topic of creating a welcoming and inclusive environment. We encourage you to peruse our historical blogs below (listed in reverse chronological order), and dive into the additional resources identified within each post.

FAQ

What is a land acknowledgement?

A land acknowledgement statement is usually made at the beginning of a gathering or special event as a sign of gratitude and respect toward the Indian Nation(s) on whose ancestral lands we recreate. It’s a simple, powerful way to show respect and affirmation, recognize the history of colonialism, acknowledge and address barriers to participation, and further our commitment to creating a more inclusive community. We hope to grow this practice within The Mountaineers, and encourage our leaders to incorporate land acknowledgement statements into courses, activities, and events. We want to do so in a way which is meaningful and respectful, and are working to create tools for our volunteer leaders to achieve these objectives. Learn more about the land you are on using the Native Land app and more about land acknowledgements here: https://usdac.us/nativeland/.

What are pronouns?

Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns; in this case, a word or words that substitute for your name and reflect how you’d like others to refer to you. A few examples of common pronouns are she/her, he/him, and they/them. Sharing pronouns helps create space for individuals who are trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer to share how they would like to be addressed. Learn more about pronouns.

What is privilege?

"Privilege doesn't mean you're rich, you've had it easy, or have never had to struggle or work hard. All it means is that there are some things in life you'll never have to think about or experience because of who you are. Before you can be an ally and fight for the rights of others, you have to understand the rights you have and others don't - that's privilege."
-Franchesa Ramsey

Committee Materials