The Mountain

"Something that I often hear is, 'Why does it matter if you're the first black person to do this? The mountain doesn't care if you're black.' And it's true. Once you're on the mountain, it doesn't care if you're black. But by the time you're at the base of the mountain with the skills that you need, you're 75 percent of the way there, at least, and it's that road to get to the base of the mountain that I think a lot of people don't appreciate"

- Adina Scott, a member of Expedition Denali, a team of African-American climbers who plan to summit Mount Denali in Denali National Park this month as a way to inspire youth of color. 

I feel this way about snowboarding too (And why I am so glad Burton has Chill). The opportunity to practice a skill, talent, hobby is often much more important than whether any person in particular gets to...go fishing...go hiking...sit by a campfire...see an opera...ride a horse...visit a new city...read a book.

Though any new experience can give the soul new eyes, it's a matter of investing enough in individuals' access points to new experience, in general, overall, that really opens doors.

Since many people invested in me for decades, especially in my academic investment, but also through the arts, athletics, travel, and in sharing their spirits enough with me to have picked up some small doses of life wisdom here and there, I now know that I can do what I aspire to do. Maybe not right away - training, planning, saving, and other hurdles may need to be jumped, but over time, I can get there.

Allowing kids to develop this sense of agency in themselves as they grow takes more than circumstantial exposure to a field trip or perk; it takes long-term investments in young people as individuals, and the willingness to advocate for systems change, so that when a child has a dream - any dream - there's a way for that will to be realized.