Support Letter from Georgie Abel

Over the last few days, I have been saddened and outraged to hear that numerous people had traumatic experiences at the 2018 SHIFT festival and the emerging leaders program. I am also disappointed by the responses given by the SHIFT board of directors as well as the apology issued by Christian Beckwith, all of which include tactics of psychological manipulation such as gaslighting. For these reasons, I am calling for Christian Beckwith to resign from his position as Executive Director of SHIFT.

In addition to my opinion that Christian Beckwith should resign, I believe that he was never the right person for this position to begin with. This situation is a clear example of the pain that is often inflicted upon BIPOC when white men are put in charge of DEI efforts. I hope that if Beckwith resigns that he is replaced by one of the many talented and hard-working individuals that are actually qualified for this position.

This letter also aims to encourage my fellow white women to offer our power, privilege, and platforms to this situation and others like it. It is unacceptable that the emotional labor involved in this campaign has fallen almost entirely upon women and nonbinary people of color. White women are provided safety and resources that make speaking out about these kinds of issues incredibly low risk. However, over the last 24 hours, I have witnessed many white women (even those who have branded themselves as activists and feminists) publicly refuse to speak out against SHIFT and Beckwith, citing a variety of “personal reasons” for their disinterest in supporting the communities they claim to care for. This is sickening and I urge those of you who are unwilling to use your social media platforms to support this campaign to explore your discomfort and own it as the white fragility that it is. As white women, we must include anti-racism work in our brands, activism, and personal growth practices if we truly want to create a more inclusive outdoor community.

To conclude, I want to thank everyone who has already spoken out about this situation. This letter stands upon the foundation that has already been created by the 17 people who bravely came forward to share their stories. These individuals are the true leaders of the outdoor industry and they have already created a safer community for all of us. Going forward, let’s offer these leaders our support and never forget their incredible efforts.

Sincerely,

Georgie Abel