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

by Alison Mariella Désir

Sometimes it’s easier to pretend something is white people’s shit than it is to reckon with the historical and cultural factors that have stolen everyday activities and places and made them off-limits to us.

“The key is to go from awareness and consciousness to putting what you want on project status. Make it a project.

I learned that white places were not called white places; they were the places. There were Black salons. Black barbers. Black neighborhoods. But the “regular” salon, barber, and neighborhood were white spaces. If it was Black, it was other.

In some cases, a sense of urgency diluted the possibility of meaningful work. And while the work is urgent, it cannot be done urgently. It requires strategy, and the mental fortitude to resist white supremacy culture, which prioritizes speed over other factors like including more voices at the table.