Pree History

Fred Hart - The Forewalker of Celebrity Black Athletes

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In the weeks after the American Civil War, urbanites were going crazy for a new sport- pedestrianism. Fred Hart an immigrant from Haiti would snatch the championship and fame while setting a path for future black racewalkers who participated in a nearly deadly 84-day long footrace across America during the Jim Crow era.

Sources:

  • https://www.npr.org/2014/04/03/297327865/in-the-1870s-and-80s-being-a-pedestrian-was-anything-but
  • Bunion Derby: The 1928 Footrace Across America. Charles B. Kastner.
  • https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/frank-hart-pedestrianism
  • https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/olympics2016/2016/07/30/racewalking-olympic-sport-people-can-relate/hCn9TvBYM6k4mWxZIocbbP/story.html
  • https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hart-frank-black-dan-1859/
  • https://www.nyrr.org/Run/Photos-And-Stories/2021/Black-American-Running-Timeline
  • https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1928-bunion-derby-america-s-brush-integrated-sports/

    • Intro & outro music: Music: Dutty - Vibe Tracks https://youtu.be/YeHqPHl1114


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    Pree HistoryBy Danielle Barnett
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