A Note on NBR and Antiracism
Dear team,
11 years ago, North Brooklyn Runners was founded on creating a no-cost, shared space for movement welcoming in runners of all stripes—of all fitness and experience levels, from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our code of conduct has long mandated that we maintain "Respect [for] the age, religion, ethnic background, gender and sexual orientation when interacting with teammates, other running clubs, participants at group runs, races, activities, social events, clinics, seminars, or via the internet in public forums and social media sites."
The tragic events we've continued to see for years, but particularly in the last two weeks—the brutal killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and so many more—have shown us that simply respect is not enough. And limiting our respect to running-related events is also not enough.
Thus, I'd like to share that North Brooklyn Runners is and will strive to be in all ways actively antiracist; we stand in solidarity with the Black community fighting for justice. In the words of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, to be antiracist is "to continually rededicate ourselves to the lifelong task of overcoming our country’s racist heritage." To do this work, he saysthat "being an antiracist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination."
For our part, we as a Board will be working to manifest this ethos in as many aspects of the team as we can. To start, expect to see updates to our Code of Conduct in the coming weeks, with more explicit antiracism language. Several weeks ago, NBR leadership became part of a newly formed working group to actively promote antiracism in the running community, comprising teams across the city. You'll soon see some of the initial results of our work, such as a values statement and outreach/programming plans.
Also look out for resources being shared on our blog and social media accounts on antiracism and the ways you can further this work. This will include articles on the experience of BIPOC runners, lists of Black-owned businesses you can support, community fundraising efforts, and more.
As ever, the Board and I are an open channel for dialogue on this topic.
Yours in solidarity,
Brinda + NBR Board
