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I have some thoughts about @oiselle and @oiselle_sally and the way they have built their business. Sally has shown over and over the way to lead is to act. The sport and brands have a history of writing off women, especially when they are pregnant.
Sally and Oiselle could have written some think pieces about it and posted some bullshit hashtags. But instead they hire @laurenfleshman, an outspoken athlete on the issue and does it WHILE SHE IS PREGNANT.
The sport also has an issue of praising men for their passion while faulting women as being too emotional. @oiselle remains outspoken on this topic and hires @karagoucher, an athlete often lambasted for her emotion. Oiselle and Sally see it for the strength and appeal that it is.
I make no secret that I am a weirdo super fan of @oiselle, Sally, Kara and Lauren. But as a POC I often yearned to see more diversity with their voices and teams. Enter @EatPrayRunDC who starts sharing her insights into what it is like as a Black runner and Black woman.
Again, they could have simply reposted, hash tagged and done some performative BS. Instead @karagoucher, @laurenfleshman and co. start doing the work. Reading, unpacking, unlearning. They don’t look for a quick fix and know they can’t undo their whiteness.
Protests light a fire under the asses of every American. Now is the time to get on board with anti-racism. Does @oiselle fall for perfomative activism posts and promises of doing better? No, it’s clear they had started the work before May 25, and they don’t mean to stop.
Instead they understand their whiteness and the need for lasting changes. They have @AlisonMDesir join them as a voice, partner and educator. They once again show they are in it for the long haul. This is what it means to lead by acting, and this is what creates lasting change.
