JEDI Statement

ARCC JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION STATEMENT

We want climbing communities to know that the Arkansas Climbers Coalition (ARCC) is committed to ensuring that ALL people (including not just limited to: Adaptive, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, and other People of the Global Majority) can and will feel welcomed, respected, and safe to recreate within the Natural State. The ARCC is dedicated to identifying and dismantling any implicit bias within the climbing community. We provide safe spaces at social events and community engagement projects which welcome those members of our community that may feel historically misrepresented.

Our organization is actively committed to creating an inclusive climate for all climbers in Arkansas regardless of age, disability, gender identity and expression, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, orientation, socioeconomic status, and outdoor experience.

We continuously strive to build and support an inclusive network of climbers within our community. A community that fosters growth, development, fellowship, and stewardship at events and gatherings where we hope all Arkansas climbers can participate, connect and respectfully learn from each other's humanity.

ARCC COMMITMENT GOALS

• All people should feel safe, welcome, and respected in the Arkansas climbing community.

• We are committed to promoting diversity among our members and the Board of Directors.

• We recognize that words, phrases, and meanings evolve through time - as language is dynamic - meaning and interpretation evolve with language and the changing norms and culture.

• We are here to listen, serve, protect, and facilitate growth for the climbing community. As advocates of the climbing community, regardless of whether they are ARCC members. 

• We are making a concerted effort to provide safe spaces and recognize that not all "safe spaces" can offer a safe or inclusive environment. Ultimately, we want to help break down these barriers getting in the way of outdoor recreation.

• The ARCC has made strides in removing and changing inappropriate route names from future climbing guidebooks and Mountain Project. This has opened discussion amongst local developers, guidebook authors, and landowners on concerns related to offensive terminology and preventing offensive crag, route, and boulder problem names from existing in these spaces.

• We acknowledge that we are human and will make mistakes. With this, we encourage the community to reach out and provide constructive and critical feedback to promote a just, equal, diverse, and inclusive community.

• We are in full support and aligned with the efforts made through the Access Fund, and we encourage further reading on their JEDI Journey.