race against racism

yesterday afternoon some friends and i ran in the the race against racism 5k sponsored by the phyllis wheatley ywca in east knoxville. for some reason i cant make links on my ibook when i am at home, but the ywca site is ywcaknox.com. the race turnout was much larger than i expected, and i feel like the community really came together to talk about and promote a great cause. at most races you get a goody bag with coupons and samples of running and sponsor related items. this race's goody bag included a one-sheet detailing "10 simple ideas to eliminate racism." a lot of these may seem obvious, but i actually think this is a list of simply ideas that we sometime forget about. it's nice to be reminded:
1. Dont laugh at racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic, or other stereotypical jokes or assumptions
2. Make an effort to get to know people different than you
3. Learn about other people and their cultures
4. Think before you speak
5. Be a role model
6. Don't make assumptions
7. Explore the unfamiliar
8. Work on projects with members of groups different than your own
9. Be a proactive parent (expose children to diversity early on)
10. Support anti-prejudice and anti-racist organizations

so yeah, a little 5k cant change the world, but i felt like the community got together to support a good, common vision. and the race course was really pretty. with one beeotch of a hill.

update: i added a pic so you can see how awesome the race teeshirt is. it's the best 5k tee i've ever seen. my time got me 4th in my grouping, and the best part was that i was running under a pseudonym bc i was filling the place of a team member who had to cancel. the race gave me a good base time. the sort of time that says, "wow, you are really out of shape and you still did okay, so now you need to improve from here."