Why we need to keep talking about the brilliance of black women in sports

A new podcast, Melanin MVP, aims to highlight the talent, resilience, and impact of black athletes - here's why it's so important

Jan 17, 2025

Angela Hollowell’s Rootful Media creates documentary films about the outdoors, health equity, social impact, and environmental justice

It was in 1936, at an Olympics overseen by Adolf Hitler, that the first African American women finally competed in track and field at the Olympic Games.

Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes’ appearance in Berlin came 40 years after the modern Olympic Games debuted in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

Women weren’t allowed at that inaugural Games at all. White women started competing in 1900.

Pickett and Stokes hadn’t been picked in 1932, despite qualifying - two slower, white athletes took their place.

Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes were hazed by racist teammates and dropped from the 1932 US Olympic team despite being faster than their replacements

When they finally took to the Olympic stage, they did so under the gaze of the ultimate white supremacist, a man who had hoped to watch his ‘master race’ rule supreme on the biggest sporting stage.

Read more about the story of Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes on the University of Notre Dame website

Jesse Owens, brilliantly, put paid to Hitler’s sick dream. But it wasn’t until 1948 that a black woman - Alice Coachman - won Olympic Gold, setting a new Games record in the high jump.

It took until 1968 for Britain to have a black woman Olympian in the shape of sprinter Doris Anita Neil.

Why the short history lesson?

Hopefully it demonstrates how recently we lived in a world where black athletes, and particularly black women athletes, were marginalised and ignored.

Watching the likes of Sha'Carri Richardson, Sifan Hassan or Julien Alfred star at the very highest level of running can make you forget the challenges black athletes have faced and still encounter.

Sha'Carri Richardson won the 100 m final at the 2023 World Championships; picture via Creative Commons

And a glance across at the scarcity of black athletes generally in the ultra running world is a stark reminder that there is some way to go.

That is why it is so important to continue to celebrate the achievements of minority women athletes, and why I was so pleased to learn that the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network - of which Running Tales is a part - is set to welcome the Melanin MVP Podcast on to its books.

Melanin MVP is presented by film director, writer and cyclist, Angela Hollowell, and aims to engage and inspire endurance athletes with discussions that will showcase the talent, resilience, and impact of black women in sports.

Angela, who also has a Substack of the same name, hopes her work will start meaningful conversations and shatter societal barriers.

Angela Hollowell’s Melanin MVP podcast is part of the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network

Writing on Substack, she said: “I'm fascinated by the power of sports to transform lives, start meaningful conversations, and shatter societal barriers.

“As a writer and film director, I've dedicated my career to crafting compelling documentaries and narrative films that spotlight the incredible journeys of BIPOC women athletes.

“Through my work, I aim to amplify voices often overlooked in mainstream sports media, celebrating the resilience, talent, and diversity of melanated women in athletics.

“My passion lies in uncovering untold stories that inspire, educate, and challenge perceptions, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive sports landscape.”

Ultra runner and business owner Jason Bahamundi is the founder of Run, Tri, Bike and the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network

It’s a fantastic mantra and one Jason Bahamundi, an ultra runner and businessman whose Run, Tri, Bike magazine started the Everyday Athlete Podcast in mid-2024, says perfectly matches his own vision.

Jason said: “We are over-the-moon excited to welcome Angela and Melanin MVP to the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network.

“Melanin MVP is about amplifying the voices, recognising the contributions, and inspiring future generations of black and brown female athletes.

“When I founded this company my goal was to bring stories of the untold to the public and Melanin MVP continues that vision.”

The Everyday Athlete Podcast Network currently consists of eight separate shows - Melanin MVP will be the ninth - and spans a variety of topics from light-hearted debates over aid station food to the power of running to counter mental health problems.

Shows are broadcast live on a number of social media channels including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, before being uploaded as a podcast.

Angela said she knew she wanted to be part of the network as soon as she spoke to Jason: “Run, Tri, Bike embodies impactful storytelling and intentional community building for everyday athletes – the perfect home for underrepresented women seeking media that reflects their life experiences.”

Jason added: “This collaboration will allow us to showcase these athletes and continue to prove that Run, Tri, Bike is the premiere voice of the everyday athlete.

“Our goal is to provide everyday athletes with inspiration and motivation to not just set a goal but to also chase after it knowing that there are others like them doing the same thing.”

Both Angela and Jason hope the new podcast can champion black voices and stories, and have a real effect throughout a society which has come a long way since the days when Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes we’re told they couldn’t compete for their country - but still has some way to go.