DID YOU KNOW? Duke Ellington, the accomplished jazz musician from Washington, D.C., also composed classical music. He wrote the suite, “The River,” to accompany a ballet choreographed by the legendary Alvin Ailey.
Lamar Cousin, Black Men Run Charlotte (BMR CLT) vice captain (left), and Greg Washington, BMR CLT head captain (right)
Black Men Run Promotes Fellowship and Healthy Living By Anders J. Hare
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n October 2021, Black Men Run Charlotte (BMR CLT) celebrated its eighth anniversary — not with a big party and festivities, but with a commemorative morning run followed by breakfast. Current and original members of the organization attended the event, showing how dedicated the members from different generations are to changing the narrative of Black men’s health in the Charlotte area. The Charlotte chapter is part of a larger network of Black Men Run organizations across the country, which was founded in July 2013 by Jason Russell and Edward
Walton. The Charlotte chapter, founded by head captain Greg Washington and Frederick Jameson in October 2013, holds runs and walks on Mondays as well as the first and third Saturday of every month. Washington said he was inspired to start the chapter after he attended a race in Atlanta. “I saw one guy come across the finish line wearing a Black Men Run shirt,” Washington said. “And it’s interesting because my wife was a part of Black Girls Run, but I had no idea about Black Men Run,” he said. “When we got home, I Googled it and saw that they were accepting chapters in different states, so I requested to be a captain. Oddly enough, another guy from Charlotte requested to be captain the same day, so
we (Washington and Jameson) founded the chapter together.” The first group run was held on Oct. 21, 2013, and it consisted of four guys — Washington, Jameson and two friends. Since then, BMR CLT has grown to 200 members, but about 25 active members participate weekly, Washington added. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the number one cause of death of African American men. With this in mind, Washington said he realized it was important to have an outlet to promote healthy activity for Black men after he had concerns about his own health. Washington moved to Charlotte from New York in 2006, and over January-February 2022 | Pride Magazine
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