Team of Black Climbers Conquers Mount Everest Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close

Team of Black Climbers Conquers Mount Everest

Mountaineer Phil Henderson organized the expedition to provide mentorship and support

First All-Black Climbing Team Takes On Everest , Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. But during those years, there were few Black climbers to learn from or look up to. “I’m like, ‘Wow, if I can reach this level I wonder what people would do if they had mentorship,’” he says. ​​ Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. So Henderson created the Full Circle Everest Expedition made up of , teachers and professional climbers who were Black. Henderson led the effort to climb Everest from base camp to make sure the rest of the team had the support needed to make it to the top. ​​ On May 12, the team summited Mount Everest. Mother Nature “doesn’t care where you come from, what you look like, what color you are,” Henderson says. “We have to depend on one another. That’s life.” For more on Henderson’s story, watch the video above. MORE FROM AARP AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Magazines & Resources offers > See more Home & Real Estate offers > See more Events offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS