Alison Mariella Désir

×

Expand

Brandon Williams/Ill Will Media

A person with crossed arms leans on an orange wall.

Alison Mariella Désir

In the new book Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built for Us, endurance athlete and activist Alison Mariella Désir draws on personal experience and the history of running as a sport to examine another aspect of white supremacy's corrosive impact on society. Désir will discuss the book with Uchenna Jones (co-founder of Soles United, a Dane County group working for more diverse and welcoming running and fitness spaces) during a webinar hosted by A Room of One's Own.

media release: A Room of One's Own welcomes Alison Mariella Désir and Uchenna Jones for a conversation on Désir's new book Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built for Us.

This event is virtual via Crowdcast.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ON CROWDCAST

Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built for Us is a searing exposé on the whiteness of running, a supposedly egalitarian sport, and a call to reimagine the industry. Balancing the benefits of running in her life against the realities of white supremacy in the sport and in America, Désir realized that the very existence of being a Black runner can hold the power to disrupt the white narrative while also carving out space for Black people. To help make running more inclusive and welcoming to people of color, Désir founded Harlem Run, an NYC-based running movement, and Run 4 All Women, which has raised over $150,000 for Planned Parenthood and $270,000 for Black Voters Matter.

Tracing her own experiences within a larger discussion of race and athleticism in contemporary America, Desir offers a thought-provoking counter-history of the sport of running, showcasing for the first time its inherently problematic roots. From the original first recreational running boom in Oregon, to the unrecognized Black pioneers of the sport, to the horrific murder of Ahmaud Arbery, she shows how we got here—and where we still have to go. Bringing inequities to the light alongside her own story of transformation, Désir captures the infectious joy of movement while making an unflinching, inspiring call for change.  

Alison Mariella Désir is an endurance athlete, activist, and mental health advocate. Running saved Alison Mariella Désir’s life. At rock bottom and searching for meaning and structure, Désir started marathon training, finding that it vastly improved both her physical and mental health. Yet as she became involved in the community and learned its history, she realized that the sport was largely built with white people in mind. To help make running more inclusive and welcoming to people of color, Désir founded Harlem Run, an NYC-based running movement, and Run 4 All Women, which has raised over $150,000 for Planned Parenthood and $270,000 for Black Voters Matter.

Désir is currently co-chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition, a Run Happy Advocate for Brooks Running, and an Athlete Advisor for Oiselle. A graduate of Columbia University for her bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, including a master’s of education in counseling psychology, Alison has been published in Outside Magazine, contributed the foreword for Running is My Therapy by Scott Douglas, and founded the Meaning Thru Movement Tour, a speaking series featuring mental health experts and fitness professionals. Running While Black is her first book. Alison Mariella Désir currently lives with her son, Kouri Henri, and partner, Amir Muhammad Figueroa, outside of Seattle.

Uchenna Jones is a wife and mother of three amazing children. She attended UW-Madison where she received her Bachelor of Science degrees in Bacteriology and Nursing.  She is also a Certified Doula and a Certified Lactation Counselor. Recently, Uchenna became a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutritional Specialist obtaining her credentials from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, NASM. Currently, Uchenna is employed as a Registered Nurse in Labor and Delivery at SSM Health St. Mary’s. As a nurse, she spends a lot of time educating patients about their health and treatment plans provided by their physicians. 

Uchenna is extremely passionate about her field of work because she loves what she does. Her goal is to help others know and understand how important it is to live a life of health and wellness. In December of 2018, Uchenna founded the Madison Gospel 5K Foundation, which is a charitable non-profit that is focused on creating healthier families through faith, fellowship and fitness. In 2019, she also founded and created an annual community event called the Madison Gospel 5K Run/Walk and Health Fair event. Uchenna has been able to host this event successfully for the past four years, consecutively. Additionally, in April of 2019, Uchenna is one of three founders to create Sole Sistas Run Madtown, an exclusive multicultural women’s walk/run group. Lastly, in February of 2021, Uchenna, Melissa and Joanne came together and founded Soles United. Soles United is an organization that is focused on creating an inclusive, diverse, equitable and welcoming running/movement fitness community. Soles United host monthly meetings and support various fitness organizations that are committed to creating safe and inclusive fitness spaces for all. After experiencing an unhealthy lifestyle during most of her twenties and thirties, she is an advocate that you are never too old to make a healthy change. Uchenna hopes to inspire others as well as encourage those near and far to take the first courageous step at being a more fit you.