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Two armed white men killed Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old unarmed black man, as he jogged through a southern Georgia neighborhood. USA TODAY

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On Feb. 23, an unarmed black man named Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot while going for a run near his Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood.

After cellphone video that appeared to show the killing surfaced online and went viral, a national outcry for justice began to build. 

Arbery would have turned 26 on Friday. In his honor, fellow runners, individuals and clubs, from across the nation will get together in their respective cities and run 2.23 miles, dedicated to his life. The distance signifies the date he was killed. Several black running clubs in Detroit are participating in the #IRunwithAhmaud campaign, including the We Run 313 club — of which, in full disclosure I am a member.

“As a black runner, mother of three sons, and a wife, I feel very obligated to participate in this initiative,” said Valerie Vaughn, who said she runs the Dequindre Cut in Detroit every day. “This story hit too close to home for me in many different ways and this is a creative way to fight for justice for Ahmaud.”

We Run 313  has created a #WeRunWithMaud hashtag of its own for the cause.

“Our run club is majority black and our founders are black, so we felt it was very necessary to participate in the run,” said Lance Woods, who co-founded We Run 313 in 2019 with Joe Robinson. “That could have easily been one of us and we want to stand in solidarity with him and in a way, speak out against what’s happening to black men in this country.”

Arbery, 25, was jogging when he was confronted by 64-year-old Gregory McMichael, a former law enforcement officer, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, of Brunswick. Both of the McMichael men were armed and had been following Arbery in their pickup, police said. Arbery was shot after struggling with the son over his shotgun.

The former officer later told officers that he thought Arbery looked like a suspect in a series of nearby break-ins. So far, no charges have been filed against the McMichaels.

Black Men Run (BMR) was founded to give black runners a safe space, since distance running is not widely considered a sport of interest to African Americans. The organization has over 300 members in its Detroit chapter and over 4,000 nationally. And for many members of the group, the news of Arbery’s slaying hits home.

“When you see someone who’s participating in something that you do daily get killed like that, it affects you more personally,” said Darryell Randle, who has been head captain of BMR since 2017. “I allowed myself to watch the video and I felt the gunshots. I feel hurt and pained that this happened to our young brother. Something has to be done.”

In addition to Friday’s run, the Justice for Ahmaud campaign is asking supporters to sign a petition and make calls urging authorities to bring charges against the two suspects. Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tom Durden recently announced he will present the case to a grand jury for possible charges once a grand jury can convene after coronavirus-related shutdowns.

The Justice for Ahmaud campaign’s petition has more than 800,000 signatures, with a goal of 1 million. The #IRunwithAhmaud and #RunwithAhmaud hashtags have been used thousands of times on both Instagram and Twitter. 

“My hope for this campaign Friday is that it stops the killings and assault of black men and women,” said Maria Woods-Stanfield, who is a member of Black Girls Run, and has been running for 38 years. “We are often and unfairly viewed as threats — as if our brown skin is a weapon.”

Contact Branden Hunter: bhunter@freepress.com

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