Registration started at 2, and the race started 3. There were a lot of people there to run the race, and there were a lot of people who volunteered to work the event. There was a cool photo story about some individual slaves, and how they were rescued. There was also stories of modern slavery and its occurrences all over the world today, including one from San Francisco, California. These exhibits were set up all along the walls of the elementary school so people who were registering or checking in could see them.
Before the race started Ryan Hall, an olympic marathon runner, spoke the whole group about his career in running and how this event allows him to use his talent to help other people. Then we all walked over to the starting line in silence to think about who we were running for and why we all came out there today.
There were people of all ages participating, some ran and some walked. Little kids walked with their parents, rode scooters, or rode in strollers. There was an elderly man running at his own pace, there was people running with their dogs. It was really cool. We ran 2 laps around the neighborhood the school is in. It was really hot, but people came of their homes to watch and cheer in support. One man even had his hose going and runners would run by to get sprayed and cool off.
After the race a representative from Not For Sale talked, quoting Adolf Hitler: "As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice," reminding us that it is not what you say that is important, but what you do. Actions speak louder than words. Although it may sound cliche, it is so very true. A few other people spoke, and we walked around to see the various organizations set up. I saw Tina, a woman from our group in Washington DC! It was very exciting, and she was so happy that I did the race. We signed the petition to end slavery in California, and called it a day.
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