The Active Joe
BIPOC Athletes are Actively Invited and Supported
Here at The Active Joe, it is important to me to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all athletes, free from unfair discrimination and where you can feel that you are celebrated for being yourself. Details about the 8 Driving Principles that drive how The Active Joe operates are available here...
The Active Joe is trying to bring people to events where they feel cared for and safe. We want you to be seen and to feel like your experiences are valid. We recognize that historically outdoor spaces have not felt like a safe space for minority communities, and we want to help provide that space for BIPOC athletes.​
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Read on and we highlight which of our 8 Driving Principles are fulfilled by each of these items:
Inclusivity and a Welcoming Environment
We create hand-written "shoutouts" for some of our races when we have time, which showcase diverse faces in pictures and experiences in the stories our participants let us share. This is a way we can encourage more diversity into the sport by showing that all are not just welcome, they're actively invited.
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In 2022, Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run was the goal race for the Dirtbags Run team, part of the Dirtbag Runners organization. This was an all-BIPOC team of athlete who journeyed from all over the United States to participate in our event!
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In March 2023, their team and the Women's 100 Mile Project team were featured as the cover story "The Power of Inclusion" in Ultrarunning Magazine.
We recognize these lands were stolen from Indigenous people (the I in BIPOC), and we include a Land Acknowledgment in our races which we continue to add to, as part of the Running on Native Lands initiative with Rising Hearts.
Equity for Others - Because Representation Matters!
We have partnered with the Trail Mix Fund, an organization who fundraises to cover the entry fees for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC athletes who wouldn’t otherwise get to race. For simplicity of management, currently the Trail Mix Fund opportunity is only available with the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run in The Active Joe race series.
Communicating Race Info to Assist our Latino/Hispanic Population
40% of Texas and 20% of the US is Hispanic, and 29% of Texans speak Spanish as their primary language, all according to numbers from the Census Bureau. We provide a PDF version of the Runners’ Manual for our major ultramarathon event, the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run. In 2023, this made available in Spanish as well as English.
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I'm Available To Listen!
If anyone has any questions or ideas, please contact me at Libby@TheActiveJoe.com