Subtitle: Why
Don't We Feel Safe?
Timeline: Freedom of Movement, Introduction
Posted
on January 31st, 2023
By
Olivia Baker
"Runners
know that running brings us to ourselves. But for Black people, the simple act
of running has never been so simple. It is a declaration of the right to move
through the world. If running is claiming public space, why, then, does it feel
like a negotiation?" - Alison Mariella Désir
Désir shows us what she means by a "negotiation" in
the introduction to Running While Black,
as she recounts the considerations that go through her head when she's going
for a run. From the clothes she wears—a long sleeve shirt with reflective bands
for her 6pm run, making her visible to cars, but notably avoiding running in
only a sports bra so as not to call any unwanted attention to herself—to the
route she takes—nearly the same one each time when by herself, lest she wander
into a space in which she is unwanted because of the color of her skin, taking
precautions to minimize the threat of racism is an engrained part of her
routine. She learned at an early age a lesson that many black people are taught
growing up which is that we must always be aware of how whiteness sees us (pg#3).
The precautions she describes in the introduction may
seem excessively cautious to some, but when you look at the juxtaposition of
black history with the growth of running in the United States, as Désir lays
out in her "Timeline: Freedom of Movement", as running has grown in popularity,
black people have struggled to carve out spaces in which we can feel safe
participating. Whether that was due to segregation and the threat of lynchings
during the mid-20th century or more recently the threat of harassment
(or worse) by emboldened racists or the police, throughout history black people
have had a hard time finding a place in the running community. For a sport that
claims that anyone can do it with just a pair of shoes, we still have a ways to
go to make this activity accessible and inclusive to all. That being said, I
think we are well on our way and headed in the right direction as a running,
walking, and jogging community.
For the 13th installment of Runners Who
Read, I chose Running While Black by
Alison Mariella Désir because I believe that this book presents us with the
opportunity to reexamine the institutions upon which this sport is built and
come away with ways to make real substantive change in favor of the betterment
of running for us all. For anyone who wants to advocate for equity in the
running community but isn't sure where to start, I have confidence that this
book and the subsequent conversations we'll have will serve as a great place to
begin.
Discussion
Questions:
1. What (or who)
encouraged you to read Running While
Black? What are you hoping to learn from this book?
2. "And yet I kept hearing how running was democratic and a sport 'for everybody' kept getting repeated: The world's most democratic sport! All you need is a pair of shoes! Just show up! It was both annoying and funny because it was clear the message came from white runners in a white sport inside a white country, and they had no idea what it was like to be a black body in such a climate." (pg# 4) Is running the world's most democratic sport? How do you feel about Desir's sentiment here?
Subtitle:
Fitting In or Belonging? (mini-blog #1)
Part One: Chapters 1-5
Posted
on February 9th, 2023
By
Olivia Baker
What does it mean to truly belong? Throughout Part 1
of Running While Black by Alison
Mariella Désir, growing up as a Haitian and Colombian American in predominantly
white spaces she contends with this question constantly. In the beginning she
worked hard to fit in—rising to the top of her private high school class to
prove she deserved to be there but also bending to the stereotypical expectations
that many of her white classmates and teachers held for her—as though belonging
was something she could earn. As the de facto representative of the black race
in her school, she felt that she had to "put on a good show" (pg#39). When
classmates would approach her singing rap lyrics she didn't know and dancing,
she would join in and fake her way through, but be sure study the lyrics later
on that night. When Tupac was murdered, everyone turned to her as though she
would be an expert on the case, so she studied it. However, instead of gaining
any sense of belonging, she was only treated as a "Black person" rather than
herself. In her own words "There was the appearance of fitting in, but I had no
sense of belonging." (pg#46)
This feeling that Désir describes is one that many
black people experience in mostly white spaces. The first step to combatting
this problem is to be aware of it, the second is to actively seek to make those
in the spaces you occupy feel safe to be themselves. To truly belong is "…being
yourself, being accepted for yourself regardless of the space you are in or the
people you are with. Belonging is being embraced and valued as your authentic
self." (pg#46) Between the hallways and classrooms where she simply sought to
fit in were pockets where Désir did feel a sense of belonging. A math class, in
which her teacher, Mr. Anderson nurtured her academic gifts and saw her as an
individual and conversations with some of the maintenance staff members that
made her feel seen made her feel a little more welcome. Sometimes creating
space for others on the individual level involves deep personal investment,
other times it can be as simple as dropping our assumptions and digging a
little deeper than small talk with the person who lines up next to us at the
road race. However you go about it, this week I encourage you to be aware of
the barriers to belonging that may exist in the spaces through which you
traverse and, if you have the opportunity, take a step to make someone else
feel more welcome.
Discussion
Question:
1. What
does it look like to make a running, walking, and jogging space in your life
more welcoming (the local road race, your running club/group, etc.)? What other
places in your life do you think there could be barriers to belonging?
Subtitle: Movement as a Means of Protest (mini-blog #2)
Part Two: Chapters 6-13
Posted
on February 15th, 2023
By
Olivia Baker
Have you ever wondered why marching is a primary
choice of those organizing non-violent protests for change? Why not simply "gather"
on Washington instead of march? Well, in part two of Running While Black by Alison Mariella Désir she explores both
historically and in present day why marching, and by extension movement in
general has been such an effective means for creating change. "The goal of
social justice work is to open the doors of access and opportunity for
everyone, particularly those in greatest need…" (pg#106). Here are some of the
ways movement can do that:
It
creates greater visibility. Practically speaking, moving allows
a group to take up more space and the more space a group occupies, the more
likely they are to be seen and heard. In the early 1940s when the New York
Pioneer Club, which was founded by three black men, decided to become one of
the first integrated athletic clubs in the nation (pg# 137), their presence
running through the streets and excellence at the elite level forced those in
the spaces through which they moved to contend with the idea of integration in
a mostly segregated country. The resulting impact helped push the sport out
from under the power of the AAU, (Amateur Athletics Union) which refused to
desegregate, and found the RRCA (Road Runners Club of America) which did away
with age and gender restrictions, and eventually became what we know as the New
York Road Runners today. Désir's own Harlem Run club similarly challenges the
status quo of distance running in the United States by creating an opportunity
for increasing numbers of African-American distance runners to move through that
space.
There
is a symbolic significance. "Scratch that, this is not a moment
it's the movement." (Lin-Manuel Miranda, My
Shot, Hamilton [the musical]). Symbolically movement, and especially movement
over great distances expresses the sentiment that those seeking change are in
it for the long haul. Change often takes time. While a single protest may only
take a moment, the way in which it is completed is representative of the work
that will be done beyond the singular moment.
It
lowers barriers to participation. In the 1965 march from
Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to ensure African-American's right to vote, tens
of thousands of people joined the 54-mile walk over the course of 5 days. Not
only its purpose, but its distance over the course of several days allowed for
more people to take part even if they could only join one leg of the journey. With
the civil rights marches in mind, in 2017 Désir organized a continuous run over
250 miles and several days from Harlem to Washington D.C. to raise money for
Planned Parenthood and support the Women's March (at which she planned to
arrive as it was beginning). She invited people to donate and to join her
anywhere on the journey. Moving through multiple states opened doors for people
all over the northeast to more easily get involved and the awareness it raised
eventually garnered national attention.
Something as simple as movement has great power when
we use it for the good of others. As Désir says "We are not powerless in the
face of injustice; there is always something you can do. I didn't have lots of
money, political power, or tons of followers on social media, but what I did
have were running shoes, two feet to put them on, and enough passion and drive
to organize." (pg# 125). Not all of us are organizers, but all of us have the
power to use our movement to create positive change.
Discussion
Questions:
1. In
what ways have you used your movement for the good of others either on a
personal level or as a part of a bigger group?
2. In
chapter 13, Désir writes "But Boston's 'specialness' stems from its
exclusivity. The race is open only to those who can run fast enough to earn a
spot, unless you run for charity and can fundraise thousands of dollars. Speed
makes you "worthy" of Boston. I had no interest in participating in an event
that valued exclusion…If Boston is the pinnacle, what does that say about what
we value?" (pg# 153, 162). She criticizes Boston's use of time cutoffs for
entry as exclusive in a sport that should be inclusive to all and suggests that
it move to a lottery system like the other 5 major marathons. Do you agree? Is
the Boston Marathon exclusive? Should they move to a lottery system for entry?
Subtitle: Reimagining
the Run (mini-blog #3)
Part 3: Chapters 14-21, Epilogue: Reclaiming
Posted
February 23rd, 2023
By
Olivia Baker
The way a story is told and passed along is nearly as
important as the story itself. As we've read throughout Running While Black by Alison Mariella Désir black people have always
been present and played important roles in distance running, yet their stories
have largely been left in the footnotes of history. While names like Bill Bowerman,
Frank Shorter, and Joan Benoit Samuelson are well recognized within the running
community and beyond in many cases, the equally important accomplishments of Ted
Corbitt, Marilyn Bevans, and Moses Mayfield are hidden gems that we must work
to find. The parts of history that we choose to remember and preserve shape the
way we understand our present and imagine our future. History shows who
belongs, who was there, and who running is for (pg#242), so when we look back
and see that parts of black history have been suppressed, it is no wonder that
black people have not always felt included in distance running. We have the
power now to widen the circle of inclusion in this sport, but we need to reckon
with the past to do so.
We must learn and celebrate the role that black and
brown people have played in American distance running. Both Ted Corbitt and
George Spitz deserve to be acknowledged for their roles in expanding the route
of the New York Marathon to go through all five boroughs. Marilyn Bevans and
Katherine Switzer were both trailblazers in women's marathon running and should
be celebrated as such. "When we include more Black people and other
marginalized groups in the larger story of running, a narrative emerges that
opens the sport to more people." (pg#243) This is in part why knowing and
sharing black and brown history. Through consistent and intentional effort, one
way that we as both individuals and organizations can make the spaces we occupy
more inclusive is by taking some time to educate ourselves about the richly
diverse history of our sport.
Discussion
Question:
1. This
week, let's simply leave this space open to share a black running history
or people of color running history fact with the group or take a moment to learn one.