Near-death accidents and summit failures have not slowed down mountaineer Saray N' kusi Khumalo. The Zambia-born mother of two holds a corporate job, hosts a podcast, has climbed some of the tallest mountains around the world, and still has the time to run a non- profit organization that focuses on education in Africa.
"My grandfather always used to say, ‘if you don't live a life of service, that's a life wasted, " she said. In 2013, she founded Summits With A Purpose in South Africa. With every climb, she raises funds to help build schools and libraries. Khumalo is not going to just climb and take a selfie. She is going to climb and then make a difference.
Not long after her first-ever summit, she turned her eyes toward the world's tallest peak: Mt. Qomolangma, located in the Himalayas. The first three climbs were tough and heart-breaking for Khumalo: She experienced everything from natural disasters to losing consciousness in the "death zone", Qomolangma's top stretch over 8, 000 meters above sea level, where oxygen is dangerously low.
On May 16, 2019 —her fourth bid —she succeeded, becoming the first Black African woman to reach the summit. In total, only eight of the 4,000 people who've ever summited Qomolangma are Black.
Khumalo is humbled by what she's achieved so far, but she notes, "I don't think that I've broken those stereotypes yet; there's still a lot more work to be done," adding that representation should extend beyond the mountain tops, too.
"It's not just about Qomolangma; it is a gift that we need to leave for the next generation wherever we are," she says, calling on her peers to step outside their comfort zone to show that Black people belong in all spaces.
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