On Saturday, LSU’s On Geaux Run Club collaborated with prominent Black student organizations on campus to host their inaugural “Unity In Motion” run.
At 10 a.m., dozens of runners gathered at Unity Field to stretch, listen to music and socialize with members of On Geaux, representatives from Black student organizations and amateur runners looking to work up a sweat.
T’Senre Gray, the founder and president of On Geaux, this year’s Homecoming King and a construction management senior, said that the event was designed to give students of all races the opportunity to celebrate Black History Month with a bit of cardio.
“We wanted to create an impact and create something lasting for the last day of February,” he explained. “So me and my team of coaches wanted to reach out to some of the powerful organizations that also make a change at LSU.”
Among the student organizations represented at the run were the Black Student Union, the National Society of Black Engineers and several National Pan-Hellenic Council sororities and fraternities.
Gray was overjoyed by the turnout.
“We reached out to student organizations that weren’t even on the flyer,” he said with a smile. “I’m just very happy and proud to have such a big outcome like this and running for something that’s so positive.”
After leading a crowd of participants in group stretches, Gray and On Geaux’s other officers instructed runners to take their marks at the corner of Highland Road and South Stadium Drive.
In an effort to make the run accessible to students of all skill levels, On Geaux’s officers split into three groups. Gray led a “fast-pace” group, another officer led a “medium-pace” group and a third officer led participants who opted to walk or jog.
All three groups followed the same route: they began at Unity Field, hooked right at Tiger Stadium, continued through the Quad, made the block around the Parade Grounds and finished back at Unity Field.
For some participants, the run felt like a perfect way to combine exercise with multicultural celebration.
“I’m not affiliated with any Black student organization, but I’m coming out because this is my fifth time in the Run Club and I really enjoy the community,” said Ingrid Francia, a mass communications sophomore. “We run every Saturday and I just think it’s a really good way to stay consistent.”
Despite participating in the run primarily to achieve her fitness goals, Francia emphasized the importance of supporting Black students.
“I think it’s important for everybody to honor and celebrate each other,” she continued. “We need to be uplifting each other, you know, especially in today’s political climate.”
Other participants were more excited to socialize than to exercise.
Aria Wesley, a member of LSU’s African Student Organization and a sophomore philosophy major, treated the run as an opportunity to build community between and among Black student organizations.
“I don’t run that often,” Wesley said. “But I came out to see a lot of our other Black organizations and see different people around campus come together for a common goal.”
For Wesley, the choice to host the run at Unity Field felt particularly significant, given LSU’s decision to close down Unity Field last fall for safety concerns — a move that many students have decried as racially motivated.
“I think it’s important that despite things that are happening on campus, we’re still coming out and supporting each other,” she explained. “The fact that we’re coming together shows that we aren’t being stunted by LSU and the policies that they’ve implemented.”
According to Gray, the choice to center the run around Unity Field was intentional.
“Starting at Unity, ending at Unity is everything — not only unity within our organization but unity here at LSU, despite everything that’s going on,” he said. “ I just love that we’re standing for a cause on a field where our people come together. Unity is so much more than a word.”
