Intentional Fitness hosts a 5K run ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They say it’s an opportunity to highlight historically black neighborhoods and educate runners about what the community can offer.
Runners took to the streets in northeast Oklahoma City, and one runner, Emmanuel Sosanya, said Kim walked to run.
“We’re going through a lit path in the neighborhood so we can see a little bit, but there’s also a theme of walking a lighted path that Martin Luther King Jr. and others set for us and sort of Accept that torch and lead the way,” Sosanya said.
The run starts on bustling 23rd Street and runs through the block. For a runner like Donelle Cole, it’s his own backyard.
“My family grew up in this area and in this environment, health wasn’t something we could always separate,” Kerr said.
Kerr said the 5K made him think about King’s legacy and what he wants to leave for his daughter.
“I want her to take some of the good qualities and some of the good habits that I try to embody in my life and pass them on to her,” Kerr said.
King laid the groundwork for Northeast Oklahoma City and its business, Sosanya said.
“There are actually some properties on the East End where the deed says no people of African descent should own them. Now you have people like us buying properties on the East End, but it’s not just us, other people come in and see the value,” Sosanya said.
“I really like all these businesses here that give you the opportunity to check out and hang out with friends before and after the game,” Bonnie Rutel said.
The studio said this is the first time they have paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. They hope to make this an annual event in his honor.
