01
Zivia is no stranger to traversing clouds and tackling epic feats.
Despite growing up far from peaks in the suburbs of New Jersey, Kenyan-born Zivia had a natural tenacity for pushing limits that led them from gymnastic competition floors to the expansive world of outdoor exploration. Today, Zivia is striving harder to expand the current extremely limited collective of Black womxn alpinists receiving the necessary resources and support to pursue alpinism.
​
Zivia’s invitation to Rosemary Saal and Sof Petros solidifies the Rooting Souls Team of outdoor educators, organizers, and mentors turned friends, in pursuit of a historic self-supported summit on Mt. Kenya! Their efforts will challenge expectations and push the boundaries surrounding why and who attempts expeditions of this caliber.
​
“My Kenyan culture is something that is really abstract to a lot of Americans…and that feels like a really cool place to ground this other piece of showcasing Black womxn in the alpine” - Zivia
02
Surveys indicate that women and racial minorities face more significant constraints in accessing climbing opportunities–from cost, to lack of mentorship and fewer community connections (99 Boulders, Adventure Sports Journal)
​
Black people compose 5% of National Park Visitors, despite making up 30% of the US population
​
Rooting Souls will culminate in a 48-minute fully edited, color-graded, and mixed feature documentary, challenging the burdens of misogynoir, while expanding and preserving this critical perspective for the benefit of future generations.
​
03
The Rooting Souls Collective arose from a shared vision of creating a space for black womxn climbers to explore their stories in a supportive, growth-oriented environment. Stories like the Rooting Souls Team remind us of the power in collective action and dreaming, and by centering Black womxn's voices in our narrative and in the filmmaking team we are shifting the landscape of who tells stories about the outdoors.
​
Join the momentum!
