Annie's Run for Equal Justice Initiative
Tax deductible
Over the past few months, running has taken on a particular significance in my life. As the pandemic set in and New York shut down, it served as a way for me to de-stress, think, and process the new reality. I looked forward to it as part of my daily routine; it created structure and clarity when so much of that had been lost.
In mid-April, I learned of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Running no longer represented an outlet for me; it represented my privilege. It represented the ways in which I have benefited from being non-black. Something integral to my well-being had been deadly to him.
On May 25, George Floyd was also denied his right to live. He deserves to be remembered as an individual human life, but his name has been added to the long list of lives stolen by a police force, and a government, whose single purpose is supposedly to protect and serve its civilians. The demonstrations of outrage, sadness, and protest that have emerged across the country are a response to the racism embedded so deeply in this nation’s social, political, and legislative history.
This moment feels like a wake up call for so many, but really, the alarm has been sounding — for years, decades, and centuries. Our collective anger, allyship, and action is imperative.
On June 9, I’ll be running the perimeter of Manhattan, approximately 30 miles, to honor the lives of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and all others whose killings have been the product of systemic racism and injustice in America. If you’re able, please consider donating. All funds raised will go to the Equal Justice Initiative , a nonprofit committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
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You can find my planned route here. Please reach out if you'd like to join me for a few (socially distant) miles at any point!
In mid-April, I learned of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Running no longer represented an outlet for me; it represented my privilege. It represented the ways in which I have benefited from being non-black. Something integral to my well-being had been deadly to him.
On May 25, George Floyd was also denied his right to live. He deserves to be remembered as an individual human life, but his name has been added to the long list of lives stolen by a police force, and a government, whose single purpose is supposedly to protect and serve its civilians. The demonstrations of outrage, sadness, and protest that have emerged across the country are a response to the racism embedded so deeply in this nation’s social, political, and legislative history.
This moment feels like a wake up call for so many, but really, the alarm has been sounding — for years, decades, and centuries. Our collective anger, allyship, and action is imperative.
On June 9, I’ll be running the perimeter of Manhattan, approximately 30 miles, to honor the lives of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and all others whose killings have been the product of systemic racism and injustice in America. If you’re able, please consider donating. All funds raised will go to the Equal Justice Initiative , a nonprofit committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
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You can find my planned route here. Please reach out if you'd like to join me for a few (socially distant) miles at any point!
Organizer
Annie Rojas
Organizer
New York, NY
Equal Justice Initiative
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
