Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us

by Alison Mariella Désir

meticulously constructed hairstyle—multiple twists

In the end, what I came away with was less self-pity and more empathy for myself and others. There are no Olympics for oppression, no gold medal for the most suffering. There are layers of privilege and layers of oppression. Every experience is different, and every experience is valid. What’s up to us is what we do with our privilege. • • •

Yes

But the program in counseling psychology began fitting together pieces of a puzzle I hadn’t known I was assembling. I enrolled in the counseling program because of my experience with depression and anxiety, but my interest in actually being a therapist was half-hearted. What I loved was running, and what I wanted to do was have a positive impact on the world. But I didn’t know how.