Rosalie Fish Will Continue to Advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

From: Runner's World - Sunday Apr 11,2021 04:03 pm
During the NCAA recruiting process, runners typically discuss things like training expectations, academic majors, and team dynamics with a prospective college coach. But Rosalie Fish, who currently runs for Iowa Central Community College, was looking for a different kind of support; the Cowlitz Tribal member wanted to know if she could count on her coach to be an ally.

Since her senior year of high school, the 20-year-old from Auburn, Washington, has dedicated her championship performances to missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW)—a crisis in which Indigenous women on some reservations are murdered at a rate more than 10 times the national average, Justice Department data finds.

Before Fish decided to commit to the University of Washington, she had an open conversation with program director Maurica Powell. Fish said they discussed her work as an activist and the additional support she might require from her coach.

“I let [Powell] know that here on the NJCAA level, I’ve had to fight for my right to wear the handprint at races and that my coaches needed to be a part of that fight with me,” Fish told Runner’s World. “I asked her if she would be willing to take my side if it ever came down to that, and she let me know that she would absolutely support me when it came to running for Indigenous women.”
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