Blog Principles
1) All Runners Should be Able to Run Free
​Free from racism. Free from judgment. Free to run wherever and whenever (even, for the dedicated few, at 5 or 6am on a Saturday). Running must contend with the politics of who can run stress-free. Why is running viewed as acceptable and even desirable if you are white? How does structural racism and the history of slavery result in Black runners being viewed as “threats”? How can runners challenge these realities? Faith Briggs, documentary filmmaker and member of the New York running group Black Roses, pointed out in a Runner’s World article that running can be “a radical act of reclamation because we live in a country where racism and segregation long determined access to freedom. That is why running matters.”
2) Acknowledging Racial Privilege as Runners
White runners, and particularly white male runners, are privileged in the freedom of movement we enjoy. We must use our racial (and male) privilege to help make running the accessible and beautiful sport it can be.
3) Reckoning with running’s history, culture, and accessibility
In the United States, at the elite level, and even at the recreational level, many running groups are mostly white. The racial makeup of these groups reflects the history and impact of racial inequality, slavery, and segregation in the United States. In a Runner’s World article, Mitchell S. Jackson writes, “if we’re keeping it 100, the monolithic character of running can be credited to the ways in which it’s been marketed and to the systemic forces that have placed it somewhere on a continuum between impractical extravagance and unaffordable hazard for scores of people who ain’t white.” Jackson adds, “Ahmaud Arbery... loved to run but didn’t call himself a runner. That is a shortcoming of the culture of running.”
4) Taking the first step, and taking action
Every year NYRR’s Team for Kids (TFK) raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for vital athletic programs in New York City. These runners are used to working for causes bigger than themselves, and they have the capacity to amplify racial justice movements. Many are already involved. Imagine if there were similar organizations in every major city. Imagine if runners organized in partnership with racial and economic justice groups as well as charity organizations. This blog is a call to action as much as it is a forum for self-reflection. The responsibility is on us as runners to educate ourselves and commit to actionable steps in our communities, towns, and cities.
5) Centering Community
Many running groups thrive because of a spirit of community (and, sometimes, shared suffering). On race day, cheers for TFK can be heard all along the New York Marathon course. (We will be back, NYC, in 2021!). Similarly, the strongest grassroots racial justice organizations generate collective power that can withstand the significant opposition radical movements inevitably face. By centering community, this blog encourages runners and organizers to continue prioritizing the interpersonal relationships that often define the successes and setbacks of movements and marathons.