December 10th, 2020
Santa Barbara, California - Jill Deering and Monica DeVreese were two dreamers with a simple vision when they co-founded rabbit less than five years ago: they wanted to create running apparel that is functional but fashionable, comfortable yet practical, all while building an amazing community of runners surrounding it all.
Jordan Marie Daniel is also a dreamer but with her own vision: the Lakota runner wants to help create a world in which justice and equality are extended to every race and ethnicity, especially Indigenous communities like her own.
Jordan, who was born and raised in Chamberlain, South Dakota, until she was nine years old and then lived in Maine until she was twenty-four, felt compelled to speak up against racism and raise awareness for Indigenous communities when she was only in grade school. In middle school, it was her dream to move to Washington, D.C., which she eventually did, and where she worked to influence policy and connect with Native organizations. More recently, the fourth-generation Brings Three White Horses runner recognized that she could use her running platform to uplift overlooked and undervalued communities like her own.
Deering and DeVreese, fellow runners who support dreamers, were inspired by Jordan’s advocacy and her use of running as a tool for change. They signed Jordan to a contract with rabbit, making her the latest addition to the rabbitPRO team.
“We are so excited and honored to support Jordan as she chases down her running goals, but even more importantly, as she uses running as a platform to help fight against racism and raise awareness for Indigenous communities,” said Deering. “Jordan is an incredible human being, and rabbit is beyond thrilled to partner with her.”
Jordan, who now resides in the Los Angeles area, has used her passion for Indigenous communities, and her ability to organize and mobilize, to start Rising Hearts, a grassroots group she founded in January 2017 while living in Washington, D.C.. The group is devoted to elevating Indigenous voices and promoting intersectional collaborative efforts across all movements with the goals of racial, social, climate, and economic justice. Recently, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniel has used Rising Hearts to start a relief program called Mitakuye Oyasin (we are all related). The program has already delivered over 4,520 masks to native communities so far.
As Jordan continues to fight for inclusivity and justice on behalf of all Indigenous people, she’ll represent her community as a professional runner for rabbit.
“I chose to sign with rabbit because they not only saw me for my running and the aspirations I have as a competitive athlete, but as a community organizer, a voice. To be supported by a women-owned company that has shown so much support for me and those I care about already...is a dream come true,” said Jordan.
In addition to a busy race schedule in 2021, Jordan will organize a virtual race in early February through her group, Rising Hearts, to launch the “Running on Native Lands Initiative”. She will also organize a virtual 5k in May to raise awareness for the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
You can learn more about Jordan on her rabbitPRO page HERE.
