The History of Black Women & Physical Fitness in the United States

In 1894, Mary P. Evans, wrote in the Woman’s Era, a Black women’s magazine, that exercise: “enables you to keep in the best condition for work with the hands or with the brain… It prepares you to meet disappointment, sorrow, ill treatment, and great suffering as the strong, courageous and splendid woman meets them. It is a great aid to clear, quick, and right thinking.” She wasn’t the only Black woman of the day encouraging Black women and girls to exercise as a way of improving not just themselves but also the whole race. Despite the lack of facilities and obstacles in their way, Black women and girls aspired to physical fitness. In 2010, Michelle Obama, the first Black First Lady of the United States echoed Mary P. Evans, encouraging everyone to pursue physical fitness with the “Let’s Move” campaign.

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Ava Purkiss, assistant professor of women's and gender studies and American culture at the University of Michigan and author of Fit Citizens: A History of Black Women's Exercise from Post-Reconstruction to Postwar America.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is Sunburst Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Nesrality from Pixabay and is used via the Pixabay Content License.The episode image is “Atlanta University, Founder's Day Drill,” from The Harmon Foundation Collection: Kenneth Space Photographs of the Activities of Southern Black Americans and available in the public domain via the National Archives (NAID: 26174852; Local ID: H-HS-2-214).

Additional Sources:

• “First Lady Michelle Obama Launches Let's Move: America's Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids,” White House Press Release, February 9, 2010.
• “African Americans and the YMCA (Archives and Special Collections),” University of Minnesota LIbraries.
• “A Brief History Of Diversity And Inclusion At The Y,” The YMCA of San Diego County, July 27, 2017.
• “Our History,” Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College.
• “Olivia A. Davidson (1854-1889),” by Nana Lawson Bush, BlackPast, January 19, 2007.
• “Physical Education Pioneer Maryrose Reeves Allen Dies,” The Washington Post, January 17, 1992.
• “The 'Hidden Figures' of Physical Education: Black Women Who Paved the Way in PE,” by Tara B. Blackshear and Brian Culp, Momentum magazine, co-authors, February 15, 2022.
• “Addressing Racism In The Fitness Industry Requires Understanding Its Roots,” by Rodney J. Morris and Pamela Kufahl, Club Industry, October 6, 2020.
• “A healthful legacy: Michelle Obama looks to the future of ‘Let’s Move,’” by Krissah Thompson and Tim Carman, The Washington Post, May 3, 2015.
• Tweet by Michele Obama as First Lady, May 19, 2015.

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