Big shout out to Black Girl Pilates founder Sonja R. Price Herbert for her Washington Post piece on how the fitness industry can move toward anti-racism.
Herbert is a Classical Pilates instructor, writer, speaker and overall BOSS! Our paths first crossed on Instagram when she invited me to join Black Girl Pilates, a Facebook group for Black women who teach Pilates. There are instructors from all over the world in this group. It really is a special group to be part of.
In the Washington Post article, Herbert outlines several ways to start making the fitness industry anti-racist, including:
Listening to Black clients who've experienced discomfort/prejudice at your facility
Not appropriating Black culture for financial gain
Buying from Black-owned businesses
The last bullet point is where Vibing on the Mat comes in.
"Ja’Nel Johnson founded Vibing on the Mat in Sacramento in 2019 with a focus on helping black women and girls of modest means thrive through exercise and sisterhood," Herbert says in the article.
I'm beyond thankful that Herbert thought of lil ol' me. And I appreciate those who have reached out to me after reading the article.
If I can leave you with one takeaway from Herbert's article, it would be this sentence:
"Just as I am connected to my enslaved ancestors, you are connected to ancestors who colonized indigenous land or who prospered from opportunities denied to others."
