“There is a large Deaf community in the Flint area, and they were longing for a running and walking group of their own” shared Kid Black Fedio, who has made it her mission to assist in making this sport more accessible over the past few years, but her passion started long before that.
Now retired after teaching in Deaf Education for more than 40 years, Kid’s interest started back in the 7th grade with a rare wrong choice at the strict Catholic school she was attending. Her punishment was that she had to go to the library and do a book report. “While in the library, I found an old book on sign language and just fell in love with it,” explained Kid. While she ended up choosing a different book for that assignment, the desire to learn sign language lingered.
As the years went on she begged her mom to let her take sign language classes. Once she became old enough to drive herself, she began enrolling in classes in the Detroit area. Although it was a bit of a drive from her Grosse Pointe home, she was determined to learn all she could about the language and the community. Between classes and her own studies, Kid quickly became immersed in the community. She would go on to graduate from the University of Michigan with a degree in special education, with plans to teach Deaf Education. “I am always asked if I have a deaf family member. People are shocked to learn that I don’t; I just have always loved how you can communicate through a visual-gestural language with its own structure and syntax” Kid explained.
Upon retiring, she wanted to start to get more active, especially during our Michigan winters. Kid came across a flyer for a walking event that was meeting at the Flint Farmers’ Market, and she wanted in. It was a cold Saturday morning in January of 2016, and she found her way to the Farmers’ Market. Upon arriving, she was greeted by none other than Brian and Dorie Barkey! Kid was surprised to learn that it was a running event, not a walking one like was portrayed on the flyer. “I had never run. Then they told me it was two miles, and I was certain there was no way I could do it” explained Kid.
Anyone who knows the Barkeys knows that they were not going to let Kid leave, and they convinced her to join that cold day event which Kid later learned was called the Amnesty Run. That was the beginning of her pathway into the CrimFit Training Program.
“As I got more involved with the training program, I just loved it. It was about more than just running. It is about the comradery that you build with your group. It felt like I was walking onto the set of Cheers every time I showed up.”
As Kid quickly grew her knowledge of the sport and her skillset, she became a group leader herself. It was during the spring of 2021 when a group of Deaf ladies asked her to be their coach. These ladies had not had any experience running and had no desire to participate in the Crim. They just wanted to get out and get active. “We set up an unofficial group and started training,” Kid shared.
Like any community, there are special considerations that Kid needed to make when training with this group. It helped that she was already part of the community. “They trusted me,” explained Kid. “Trust is important with this community. They need to know that if you learn something, you will share it with them.” Even shopping for equipment can be less informative for someone who is deaf than it is for their hearing counterparts. “If you think about it, when you are shopping, you hear what other people are saying. So if someone else asks a question, you benefit from hearing the answer. For someone who is deaf, they do not get that luxury.”
Kid also had to think about the routes they would take. She wanted to ensure that the paths where they would walk would be wide enough for the group to communicate with each other while moving. Sign language requires more space because you need room to make the hand movements and allow people to see them. She also needed to make sure that the ground was flat and smooth because it is not as easy to watch the ground when you are using your vision to communicate with others.
After training for the full summer, the group ended up participating in the HAP CareSource Crim Festival of Races and did great. “It was so much fun,” Kid shared. “This group is a true partnership in every facet. We all lean on each other and have fun together.” There was a desire to make the group more formal and so Kid approached Crim Director of Races & Training, Joe Dimambro, who was, in Kid’s words, “completely on board. He didn’t hesitate for a second and simply asked what was needed to make it happen.”
Because of Kid’s leadership, next year’s training program will include several new specialized groups designed specifically for not only the Deaf population, but other communities, including a stroller-friendly group. “We couldn’t be happier to be able to continue broadening our reach through the training program and offer programs for more communities” shared Dimambro. “Kid has taken a strong leadership role in this effort, and we could not be more appreciative of her efforts in this space. It is always our desire to design a program that meets the needs of our audiences, and Kid is a shining example of a community leader ensuring that the entire audience is served.”
Kid is very active in her community. She is also part of an effort to help level the playing field for deaf children when it comes to early education, an effort that she has been working on for over 5 years with the LEAD-K bill. The LEAD-K Bill (Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids) is a grassroots organization. Its mission is to work towards kindergarten readiness for deaf and hard-of-hearing children by promoting access to both American Sign Language and English. When she is not running, she loves being active and enjoys kayaking, biking and swimming. However, she absolutely loves the running & walking community. “The Flint running community is strong. Many people don’t realize just how blessed we are to have it” shared Kid.
With leaders like Kid, it is no surprise that this community is so strong. We are grateful for all of Kid’s work and are encouraged by her effort to continue to grow the reach.
If you or anyone you know would like to register to be in Kid’s training group, online sign up is available here. Just choose either the 5K or Half Crim Walk, then select Kid’s group from the options listed. If you have any additional questions or need assistance, please contact Joe Dimambro at jdimambro@crim.org.
