As climbers descend on Washington, DC today for the fourth annual Climb the Hill event, co-hosted by Access Fund and the American Alpine Club to advocate for public lands, they bring with them a new justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) lens—thanks to the dedicated work of a group of advocates known as the JEDI Taskforce.

JEDI Taskforce members clockwise from left to right: Shelma Jun, Pete Ward, Bethany Lebewitz, Kareemah Batts, Taimur Ahmad, Mikhail Martin, Maricela Rosales, Len Necefer

The Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Taskforce was created to add a JEDI lens to the advocacy agenda of Climb the Hill and to provide training and resources to attendees—enabling them to speak about climbing access and public lands in a way that acknowledges the experiences and challenges felt by many underrepresented groups in our community.

“It’s been really amazing to have JEDI principles incorporated throughout the many aspects of Climb The Hill, be it the trainings, our meetings with members of Congress, and the panel at the Senate Reception. While we have by no means finished this work, we have been able to begin the process forward, and that’s very exciting,” says JEDI Taskforce Co-Chair and Access Fund Board Director Shelma Jun.

Special Thanks

We're incredibly grateful to the diligent work of these JEDI Taskforce members for helping to make this year's Climb the Hill event better represent the diverse tapestry of the climbing community.

Shelma Jun ( co-chair) — Access Fund Board Member & Flash Foxy Founder
Pete Ward (co-chair) — American Alpine Club Board Member
Bethany Lebewitz — Brown Girls Climb
Kareemah Batts — Adaptive Climbing Group
Len Necefer — Natives Outdoors
Maricela Rosales — Latino Outdoors
Mikhail Martin — Brothers of Climbing
Taimur Ahmad — Access Fund Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Fellow

Our nation's capitol in Washington, DC is located on the ancestral lands of the Manahoac.