A First Step: Welcome to the Blog!

By Cole Manley

This blog is unlike anything I've done before. Today, the 4th of July, I'm committing to a new journey, a new marathon, and I hope you'll join me along the way.

In my life as a Master's and PhD student, I'm used to writing academic papers on 20th century United States history, on the movements for racial and economic justice that inspire activists today. In my life outside the library, I run marathons, explore California's redwood forests, and obsess about running shoes. But I've never deeply considered how running relates to my research interests--how my life on the roads and trails connects to my work on civil rights movements.

Inspired by millions of people marching for justice, I created the blog in July 2020 after I saw runner friends posting about protests. I realized that more could be done to build communities of politically-active and historically-conscious runners.

As a white marathoner, and a PhD History student writing about social movements, I recognized my adjacencies to both the running community and to racial justice struggles. My own involvement in protest movements inspires me to re-dedicate myself to these struggles. As an undergrad at Stanford University, I was involved in Black Lives Matter protests and fossil fuel divestment campaigns. I want to focus on the intersections between running and racial justice in order to mobilize white runners to participate in and support grassroots movements. The struggle for freedom is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need more marathoners in racial justice movements.

Why a “marathon to justice”?

The phrase does not mean that social movements should be overly cautious for fear of hitting “the wall.” It does mean that the same dedication, grit, and positive thinking needed to finish a marathon can be applied to social movement organizing. Avoiding burnout in training, and embracing the “Long Walk to Freedom” referenced by Nelson Mandela: these are things marathoners learn that they can use as organizers.

What does this blog aim to do?

Photo by John Dominis.

This blog is a commitment to hold myself accountable, and it is a product of self-reflection. It is an entry point designed to start conversations and to highlight existing work being done by Black runners, and by running groups generally.

As I embark on this journey into the ether of the blog universe, I hope you may follow along on your own marathon to justice.

The blog highlights the history of racial justice struggles in the United States and how runners have contributed to these movements. Perhaps most famously, at the 1968 Olympics Tommie Smith and John Carlos won the gold and bronze medals in the 200 meters. On the medal stand, as the national anthem played, the Black sprinters from San Jose State raised their fists in the Black Power salute in support of human rights--protesting racial segregation, poverty, and inequality. (The third runner in the photo, the white Australian sprinter Peter Norman, supported the protest).

Each Saturday, I'll post about an intersection between running and racial justice. I may publish an interview with a runner involved in racial justice movements currently, or I may dive into important historical moments, like the 1968 Olympics. Each post will have an action item you can take. Today, during this country's celebration of "independence," I hope you will join me in your own marathon to justice. Wherever you are along your marathon course, whether you have just started following protests, or whether you participated in the movements of the 1960s and have been marching since, this is a critical moment and movement for our country.

The next post will publish Saturday, July 11th. Before then, subscribe to the blog and read two articles that have shaped my thinking on these topics (or read them again!):

1) Mitchell S. Jackson, https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a32883923/ahmaud-arbery-death-running-and-racism/ 2) Faith Briggs, https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a32447425/this-is-why-running-matters-ahmaud-arbery/

For any questions or comments, or to learn more about how to get involved as a contributor, please contact: marathontojustice@gmail.com.