Black Woman Runner

“Black Woman Runner is an important and engaging book about Tiffany Gayle Chenault’s journey to redefine Black womanhood, which includes demythologizing the Strong Black Woman caricature that has served as a coping mechanism for Black women over generations but also presents a threat to Black women’s physical and mental well being. Chenault uses her biography and expertise to not only share how she learned to deal with the loss of her mother in healthy ways, but also how she negotiated boundaries related to her race, gender, class, and ethnic identity as she traveled across the United States participating in long distance races. Chenault’s contributions include examining running culture through the lens of a Black woman sociologist, but also understanding running as a form of cultural capital. Chenault takes us on a running journey and a journey across time and place, weaving America’s history of race relations with her newly found passion.” – Lori L. Martin, author of White Sports/Black Sports: Racial Disparities in Athletic Programs “The reader runs alongside Chenault as she explores race both as a social construct and as an athletic pursuit. She takes them on a path that includes histories of raced spaces in cities across the U.S. Chenault shares her emotions of grief, joy, and accomplishment, running marathons and learning to become a runner. She navigates the trail by reflecting on what it means to be a runner and what it means to be a Black runner, particularly when noting the absence of Black people in white spaces. Chenault reaches her goal that goes far beyond completing a single marathon.” – Shirley A. Jackson, editor of the Routledge International Handbook of Race, Class, and Gender “Chenault’s unique perspective, as a sociology professor and Black American woman who came to running as an adult, and has run in all 50 states, is refreshing and important–and timely. I really appreciate how Chenault weaves together her own life-changing running experiences with insights into the broader cultural, historic, and racist forces that have impacted and informed her journey. I am grateful to Chenault for sharing her story in such thoughtful, intimate detail.” – Chérie Louise Turner, host and producer, Women’s Running Stories podcast

Tiffany Gayle Chenault is Professor of Sociology at Salem State University and the author of The Unseen Politics of Public Housing: Resident Councils, Communities, and Change.