What The Man Who Climbed Everest 27 Times Can Teach Us About Forgotten Heroes

Have you heard of Sir Edmund Hillary? He was, according to Wikipedia, "a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist" who was most widely known as the first climber to reach the summit of Mt. Everest along with his much less celebrated companion, Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. One person you probably never heard of is a Nepalese mountaineer by the name of Kami Rita, who made history by becoming the climber to have reached the summit of Everest the most. He's done it a record 27 times.

Reflecting on the celebration for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, this story felt like the perfect example of forgotten minority heroes who are often central to the journeys of the heroes we usually hear about. How many other local climbers like Tenzing Norgay or Kami Rita have done the impossible over and over again, while carrying the oxygen cylinders of the ones we remember instead? Behind every significant achievement, there are usually a team of people who helped make it happen. We all need to do more to celebrate them too.