A woman looks into the distance while attending a gymnastics class. (Photo credit: Bruce Mars via Unsplash)
Andre Buzbee looks hopeful under the October sun as he prepares for his weekly workout with District Running Collective, a Black-led organization dedicated to promoting community and physical activity for D.C.’s Black population. I did some stretching.
As a personal trainer and lifelong fitness advocate, Buzbee finds comfort in joining a community of people with similar backgrounds and interests.
“I don’t get that experience at work, so it’s nice to be around people who look like me. I try not to focus on race. It’s more about community for me.” he said.
According to DataUSA, as of 2022, Black fitness professionals and personal trainers account for only 9.3 percent of the market, while white fitness professionals and personal trainers account for 74.5 percent. In the past, brands such as Adidas have faced backlash for their “body positivity” campaigns, and the fitness and wellness community has been accused of lacking diversity in different body types.
Chip Wilson, Lululemon’s founder and former CEO, said in January that Lululemon’s clothing “doesn’t fit some women’s bodies” and told “certain customers” that Lululemon’s clothing was not suitable for Lululemon stores. He said he didn’t want to buy it.
Gerald Burley, founder and owner of luxury fitness studio Sweat DC, faced this same kind of alienation. However, he saw this as an opportunity to create a new and unique space.
“I grew up as a gay, overweight black kid from West Baltimore, so I know what it feels like to not fit in,” he said. “We wanted to create Sweat as a fun place where people could actually come and train together and feel safe and welcome.”
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His motivation goes beyond inclusivity. After Burley unexpectedly lost his mother to heart disease, he used community-connected fitness as a way to help himself and those around him survive.
According to the CDC, black Americans have the highest rate of inactivity outside of work at 30 percent, compared to 23 percent for white Americans.
Research from the National Institutes of Health shows that a lack of physical activity, among other socioeconomic and cultural factors, makes black people more susceptible than white people to health-related diseases such as heart disease and high blood pressure. I am.
“There are a lot of workout groups that cater to people who don’t look like us. There’s no diversity there,” says Howard, author of CHARG ) said Janiyah Morgan, president of
Fostering an inclusive community of diverse physical activity is at the heart of the Howard Chapter of CHAARG. Morgan, a junior biology major with double minors in chemistry and sociology, leads an organization aimed at creating space and comfort for Black women.
“At Howard CHAARG, we sweat and struggle together. Our workouts may feel like we’re being pushed, but the other CHAARG girls are with us. , you never feel alone,” Morgan said.
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Howard is one of only three of 119 HBCU CHAARG chapters nationwide. Despite the small number of HBCUs represented in CHAARG, Black executive leadership within the chapter increased from 2% to 4.3% from 2023 to 2024.
Lauren Marshall, a senior health sciences major who serves as HUSA campus health director, wants to set a new standard for Howard students to trust and expect to receive appropriate health information and resources.
“When I first started at Howard, I didn’t know about medical resources,” she said. “As I have learned more about resources since joining HUSA, I am inspired to help others in the same way and make my department as transparent and welcoming as possible.”
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
