The Story



We are All Antarctica is a story about my father George W. Gibbs, Jr’s adventures as the first person of African descent to set foot on the continent of Antarctica. He sailed on the famous ship the USS Bear in 1939 to 1941 on Admiral Byrd’s III expedition to the South Pole. It was the first joint venture with the US military and private exploration. Gibbs went on to serve humanity in countless ways, paving the way for not only people of color in the community of Rochester, MN but for all people to become more human, serve their community and appreciate differences.

Through compassion, tenacity, faith and countless hours in the trenches, Gibbs’ life is a model for community service, equality and fun. As the lowest rank on the ship, he was honored for his contribution at a time when people with dark skin were considered less than human.

This story integrates my experiences with natural healing, the arts, the science of the ice, the metaphysics of the South Pole and the history of the expedition and its mystery.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Same Challenge for Some Who Make the Trip

I'm reading this morning blog posts from Robert Swan's leadership expedition 2041.  Many people who post are deeply touched by the beauty of the continent.  We wonder how to make a difference, how to make real that Antarctica is a 'barometer" of our planet. (quote in the video of March 6 blog post IAE 2012)

Today, I prepare to do my first presentation for The Women's Optimist Club in Denver. They contacted me after the Denver Post article ran on Feb. 6.  It's a challenge to distill my experience and message to 25 min.  The joke about my father was- if Gibbs is the speaker for your event, you know what the topic will be! Always, always Antarctica.  I didn't hear the formal presentations.  How ironic!
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