Jerome Blake is forty-six years old and to benefit the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, ran and finished the ING New York City Marathon Sunday. Blake, a media lawyer who sits on the board of the AVP, raised $3379 for the charitable organization, and says,
“As a gay man in New York, even though it’s the 21st century, there are places here in the city where I wouldn’t feel safe walking down the street holding a partner’s hand. That’s something non-LGBT people don’t think about.”
Tara Kyle in DNA info writes, “At times, those places included the streets of his own Upper East Side neighborhood, where Blake said that while he sometimes felt comfortable with public displays of affection, he was constantly mindful of whose attention he might be attracting.”
Before the race, Blake, who goes by “Jerry,” said, “I know I can do it. know that I can run 20 miles. And even if I have to walk those last six miles, I’ll do it.”
Well, you’ll be happy to know Blake finished the marathon in five hours, nineteen minutes, fifty-nine seconds. That’s about twelve minutes a mile.
For a forty-six year old man who has never run a marathon before, and has only been training six month, that, along with his desire to support his community and our freedoms, is inspiring.
The New Civil Rights Movement
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