They overcame challenges, confronted barriers and biases, and still succeeded at the highest levels.
Ted Corbitt, photographed in 2007, was a member of the New York Pioneer Club.In 1942, as World War II raged and racial tensions sizzled in the United States, the New York Pioneer Club was a humble grassroots Black track team in Harlem that opted to integrate after white runners saw the group practicing and wanted to become a part of it. In the words of the late NYPC manager Edward Levy, the Pioneers nobly aspired “not to mirror society, but to change it.
The NYPC was founded as a Black track team in 1936 by Robert Douglas, William Culbreath, and Joseph J. Yancey, three Black Harlemites who sought to encourage racial harmony and higher education for Black youth in Harlem. Yancey, who coached the club until 1991, valued exemplary sportsmanship, community relations, and social responsibility over race, background, or competitive success.
When the NYPC officially integrated in 1942, its updated constitution read, in part: “The objects of this organization are to support, encourage, and advance athletics among the youth of the Metropolitan District, regardless of Race, Color, or Creed.” The Pioneers objected to segregated track meets and supported integrated competitions.
As progressive as the NYPC was, women were not welcome. This was an unfortunate sign of the times, as women could only run up to 200 meters in the Olympics until 1960 and were barred from most road races until the early 1970s. Once women were allowed to join long-distance races, they inherently carried on the Pioneers’ ethos in breaking down discriminatory barriers to entry and inclusion.
The Pioneers achieved racing success and, more importantly, embodied community, belonging, and camaraderie through integration instead of discrimination. After all these years, the Pioneers’ blueprint still hasn’t faded.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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