BIPOC at The Front
Last summer The Front made a pledge to diversity in its community by committing to the inclusion of Black, indigenous, and climbers of color. With the help of our members, BIPOC at the Front was formed. The group is focused on creating space for climbers of color in Salt Lake City and along the Wasatch Front, aiming to empower, highlight their achievements and efforts, and make climbing a more diverse and inclusive sport.
Priyam
Matt
Cody
Andrea
“At our first meet-up in September, we didn’t really know what to expect, seeing that we were practicing social distancing, and we simply didn’t know the community’s interest,” said Priyam Patel, co-founder of the group. “But it certainly exceeded our expectations with about two dozen people showing up. Hearing everyone’s stories and experiences as a climber of color was incredibly powerful, and helped strengthen our purpose.”
Priyam grew up in New Jersey, and did not discover her love for the outdoors until later in her life. She started climbing a little over 3 years ago and was immediately hooked on the problem-solving aspect of climbing. Priyam is a mathematics professor at the University of Utah and much of her activism to date has involved broadening the representation of women and people of color in STEM. As she began to put down roots in Salt Lake City, she knew she had to extend that dedication to her life as a climber as well. Through BIPOC at the Front, Priyam hopes to increase access to climbing and the outdoors for communities of color and help others understand that climbers of color are a vital part of our community.
Priyam is joined by co-founder, Matt Burbach. “My identity has always been as a climber. But only more recently have I realized the importance of being a climber of color. I’m aware of the opportunities I’ve had in my life-long pursuit of an activity that has provided so much joy and value to me. I’d love to do the same for others. My hope is we can create a safe, inclusive space and opportunities for new and experienced climbers to feel like they belong.”
“My identity has always been as a climber. But only more recently have I realized the importance of being a climber of color."
- Matt Burbach
Cody Kaemmerlen, board member of the Salt Lake Climber’s Association, filmmaker and producer, attended the meet-up, encouraged about the group’s potential and purpose. “I was excited to learn about this group where climbers of color could come together and just be” he said. “Perhaps it’s hard for folks from the dominant group to understand, but often our guard is up around our non-BIPOC friends, even vocal advocates. Our visible differences have made many of us constant targets of prejudice, discrimination and micro-aggressions. When we’re around other folks of color, we can simply just be us. For the folks that cannot understand, I hope that they can listen with empathy.”
Even members of the staff agree these experiences hit close to home. The Front’s HR Generalist, Andrea Ramos Campos, is personally invested in the climbing group. “This group is really important to me because for the few years I’ve been climbing, I rarely saw people that looked like me. I noticed that climbing was a predominantly white sport, and I wanted to change that, even if I was the only person of color at the table, and many times I was. I joined the team at The Front and I started volunteering for the SLCA for the love of the sport, but also in hopes that maybe I could inspire other underrepresented folks to join. I love that we now have a community of climbers of color in the Wasatch, and I appreciate The Front for giving us a safe space to just be in a sport that rarely represented us.”
Growing up in Florida, Andrea traded the beach and palm trees for mountains and desert landscapes in May of 2018. She believes it’s the best decision she’s ever made. Her roommate took her climbing up Big Cottonwood late one summer in 2017, and she was hooked on the challenge, problem-solving, and mind-body aspect of the sport. The Front became a place for her not only to work out, but also socialize, and build community, it eventually became her workplace as well. As chairwoman of the JEDI (Justice Equity Diversity & Inclusion) committee for the Salt Lake Climbers’ Alliance, she continues to work towards creating more seats at the table for people of color in climbing and giving them a voice. She’s passionate about stewardship, advocacy, and acknowledgments of the beautiful areas we recreate in and their past.
Since the first meeting, BIPOC at the Front has been holding monthly climbing events, with December’s moving online for a virtual Holiday Soiree. While their events are open to allies to promote inclusivity, the climbing nights and select events are reserved for BIPOC only in order to carve out a safe and supportive space for BIPOC members of our community.
As we move forward, we hope that our allies will encourage folks to follow our journey, support our efforts, and seek ways to help all marginalized communities thrive. We encourage those interested to follow @bipoc_at_the_front on Instagram or the BIPOC at The Front Facebook group.
