What We Do

In league with M.E.Q. Martial Arts Academy, the NY ROAD RUNNERS MC offers self-defense and community defense programs for the Black community, free of charge. At M.E.Q., their mission is to create a brave space where you can be the fullest expression of yourself during an uncomfortable situation, where you must be prepared to bring forth a set of skills that will allow you to defend the divine sanctity of life. Founded by ROAD RUNNER Trustee Jose Esquea and two others, M.E.Q. has trained the community in self-defense and martial energetics for the past eight years. M.E.Q. also hosts seminars for children, teens, young adults, seniors,  families and communities on conflict resolution and effective techniques for self-defense.

The NY ROAD RUNNERS provides and supports curriculum development for higher education, workforce training, and community organizing. Our courses engage our communities in public discussion of the contemporary Black experience, including social and political struggles--and triumphs. We will also launch a reading and creative arts program for youth (ages 8 to 18) to creatively explore both historical and contemporary manifestations of Black culture with the goal of producing an original one act play, as well as original works of poetry and visual arts to be performed/displayed at Sister’s Uptown Bookstore and Cultural Center in Harlem/the Heights.

The NY ROAD RUNNERS sponsor a Cultural Rites of Passage program (CROP, get it?) where Black people take it upon ourselves to learn and teach confidence, and useful, constructive attributes from our own culture and heritage. During CROP discussions and field trips, our youth receive positive messaging and reinforcement, unlearning the kinds of stereotypes and misinformation about ourselves that have sadly become the norm. The program proceeds in levels; once all levels have been completed, the successful initiate is recognized and rewarded during a commencement ceremony.

Stay tuned for more information about this exciting, and necessary, upcoming project from the NY ROAD RUNNERS.