How I Teach Runners to Have Difficult Conversations About Social Justice

In February of 2020, I began writing an article about my experiences competing as a Black woman at the elite level of distance running for RUNGRL, a platform dedicated to creating space for Black female voices in the sport.

- CLAIRE GREEN

Less than a week later, Ahmaud Arbery was murdered while out on a run. Suddenly, the article took on a whole new weight. I was no longer speaking only for myself, I was speaking for my community.

The past year has been a painful one. But I’ve discovered that the dialogue that stems from speaking openly has helped me learn how to navigate conversations about the issues of social justice sweeping our nation, race-related or not.

Since then, I’ve hosted several webinars that focus on the experiences of minority athletes within Division I track-and-field teams. My goal is to give the athletes the tools to open and navigate discussions they want to have. I designed a presentation that allows students to interact anonymously. Using a platform called Padlet, I’m able to pose a series of questions on a private discussion board. Everyone in the presentation can anonymously post answers to the questions they feel comfortable sharing, and everyone is able to view the responses to each question.

I want the teams to reframe how they identify with their communities. We have a tendency to define our social groups by the most outwardly apparent shared trait. But by speaking about our relationships in terms of shared interests as opposed to shared backgrounds, it helps individuals outside our community avoid relying on stereotypes to understand what keeps people connected. And while our race, religion, and passions are all deeply important to who we are, they are no longer the sole way we define each other.

My goal with these team discussions is to help the group reach a place where they feel more comfortable initiating and navigating their own conversations. Here’s how it works.

Discuss comfort levels