“She Ran” Susan K. Wenzel
Career Navy veteran, mother of two daughters, and wife – has a diverse writing career that spans more than three decades. She knows, however, that not every living, breathing organism has the privilege of having their words heard. Her goal, as a writer, is to amplify the stories of the unheard and unknown – people, flora, fauna, food systems – above the noise of mass media. She is currently enrolled in the Creative and Professional Writing MA program at Central Washington University with an anticipated graduation date of Spring, 2023.
Author Foreword:
In 2018, I watched an unbelievably impressive distance runner named Rosalie Fish compete at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) State Track meet and felt compelled to see how she fared at the 2019 meet. She not only won her races triumphantly, but competed with a red handprint on her face. I was devastated to learn the blood red handprint is a representation of the thousands of North American Indigenous women and girls who have been silenced by violence, most of which is unreported, undocumented, and even unnoticed. Enlightenment from Rosalie – collegiate runner, Cowlitz and Mukleshoot tribal member, and accidental human rights activist – led me to Annita Lucchesi – founder and current executive director of Sovereign Bodies Institute, the first all-inclusive national database to document Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). There I began my education about this egregious human rights crisis and knew I couldn’t stay silent about what I learned.
About Rosalie Fish (With Permission)
She ran like the wind;
the breath of her ancestors.
She ran for her ancestors;
the map of her life.
She ran for her life;
almost ended from pain.
She ran through the pain;
of scorn for her heritage.
She ran for her heritage;
the source of her passion.
She ran for her passion;
the color of red.
She ran blazing red;
the blood of her sisters
She ran.
