A message from Emily:

MARATHON DONATION

I am super excited to announce that I am raising money with my marathon for one of my favorite non-profits: Beer is for Everyone!

 

*TRIGGER WARNING the following includes sexual assault*

 

Last June, following a beer conference, an individual decided to take liberties with my inebriated body at the airport. I reported the crime when I landed back in Denver when I finally came to terms with what had happened. Despite video evidence and my story, the DA decided not to move forward with charges.

 

I didn’t leave the house alone for two weeks. I felt broken and lost. My dreams were manifestations of me breaking my ribs from my spine to find my heart and ask “is this enough to keep going?”

 

I came to terms with something: regardless of the legal system, lawyers, my assaulter, or anyone else, I would have to figure out what closure meant for me and who did I want to be when I found it. Was I going to look back with sadness at what I lost, or did I want to look back with pride at my resilience?

 

I set to work. I started on the research project I had been dreaming of doing. I stayed sober. I began running again, but this time I was determined. I got faster and I wasn’t getting injured.

 

And then I thought about it: what if I can do better than just run? How far can I really go? I set a minimum goal and if I can do that, I would start training for a marathon.

 

Now, I am two weeks out from running the Colfax marathon. With all of the training miles, I have worked through so much. What happened to me (and the following injustice) stems from deeply embedded systemic issues that allows for assault/harassment on people due to sex, gender, sexual orientation, ability, race, religion, and more. Each part of our identity plays a role in discrimination and privilege (intersectionality).

 

We all deserve to be here without worrying that we will be attacked for being us. We deserve to celebrate who we are, and we all deserve a beer. Beer is for Everyone is a grassroots project that was born from the need for more diverse bodies, spaces, and voices within the craft beer community, and I am proud to run and raise a beer to them and their mission in the community.