A Former Inmate at San Quentin is Passing on the Life-Changing Benefits of Running (hoka.com)
Hoka’s success is rooted in the brand’s support of the running community. Their unwavering assistance to specialty running stores and their Humans of Hoka blog highlights stories of overcoming incredibly difficult situations via sport. Running is a balm, but what happens when the burn that needs a salve exists on the soul of man who abused his girlfriend?
Markelle Taylor, was “facing a life sentence at San Quentin State Prison. Taylor turned to the sport that gave him the mental clarity to process his actions, reframe his mindset, and eventually earn his release after serving 18 years behind bars.” Taylor was a severe alcoholic who abused his girlfriend leading to the death of their unborn child.
It’s clear that HOKA doesn’t have an incentive to highlight Taylor. In all pictures and content around the film, Taylor runs in Nike footwear. Hoka’s sponsorship of the film is an obvious ode to the healing aspects of running, but the paradox in highlighting Taylor sits uncomfortably in what many Black folks consider the exploitation of Black pain.
These days, Taylor’s running purpose extends to those who are in need of hope. Now 22 years sober, he wants to help other recovering addicts use the sport as a vehicle for change, so they too can tackle any challenges that lie ahead.
The disease of Alcoholism contributes to a vast number of issues throughout society. Taylor’s decision to consume contributed to abuse and the loss of a life. He served his time and has been absolved by the system. Telling his story does provide an educational and informative experience on the dangers of drugs and mental health, but is this the story needed?
In the great American novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, a Black character named Jim Trueblood, tells his story of incest to the White benefactor of a Black College. The benefactor listens and then pays Trueblood. Trueblood has become proficient at telling this story of Black trauma to White folks who pay him for his pain.
I understand Hoka’s desire to share and sponsor this film, but reading the story on Humans feels a bit like reading the Trueblood section of Invisible Man.