The inauguration for the next president is Friday. As I scroll through social media it appears as though many people have something to say about the soon-to-be 45th President of the United States. But without a large platform, some feel they have no real voice.
That’s why I couldn't help but smile, as I watched on Facebook an athlete, Alison Desir, who is also a childhood friend, give a speech before taking off for her latest run.
Alison, the founder of Harlem Run, along with three other runners, are in the midst of a 240 mile-relay run this week, which is equivalent to about nine marathons. On January 2nd, Alison launched the GoFundMe campaign “Four Women Run For All Women.” The run, which started in New York City on January 18th, will end on Saturday in Washington DC in time for The Women’s March. The run is raising money for Planned Parenthood. Eight days after launching the campaign, they reached their goal of raising $44,000 and have since far exceeded that amount.
Before taking off Alison told a crowd in New York City: “Most people think you have to have a lot of money to make a difference. Most people think you have to be Oprah or Bill Gates to make a difference. Most people think you need to have 50,000 followers on Instagram to make a difference. I don’t have any of those things. In fact, I stand before you with less than $200 in my personal bank account but I will tell you what I do have. I have a pair of sneakers. I have two feet to put in them. I have passion in my heart to organize people and I have the willingness to sweat for what I want.”
Irrespective of whether or not you believe in the purpose of Planned Parenthood and what it represents, Alison is giving activism a face, a loud voice and a damn good workout, showing that no matter who you are you can provide others with your perspective.
However, despite her innate intelligence, ambitious mindset and her inherent ability to lead, her life to this point has been no walk in the park.
“On top of the current political climate and all the injustices around the world, this past April my father passed away,” she explained. “For seven years I had watched him deteriorate as Lewy Body Dementia took his mind and ravaged his body. That, too, made me feel helpless, as all I could do was watch as I slowly lost the most important man in my life.”
The runner who has openly discussed her battle with depression added, “I knew that I could sit there in despair and post angry rants on Facebook, talk to my friends about the state of the world or I could do something. I could do something right now to make the world better.”
Alison is not an Olympic medalist or a million-dollar pro athlete. However, she represents the same spirit as many of the world’s greatest competitors, such as Muhammad Ali and Billie Jean King. Just as they did, she is challenging her mind by pushing her body, while representing a purpose bigger than just her own self interest.
In one of the last lines of her speech before takeoff she said, “Don’t be stopped by your circumstances. Don’t let life happen to you. Stand up for what you believe in with whatever you have available to you. Be willing to sweat for it and inspire others to do the same.”
While she still had the 240 miles ahead of her when she spoke those words before the crowd, in some way she had already reached the finished line by proving to truly be heard all you need is a little passion and in her case some pavement as well.
