A Port Moody CrossFit gym that severed its affiliation with the brand in June following outcries over corporate silence in the face of the Black Lives Matter protest movement has created a new fund for Tri-Cities Black and Indigenous people to pursue schooling in law and social work.
Engineered Bodies, one of the first CrossFit gyms in Lower Mainland to de-affiliate, will use the roughly US $3,000 (or CA $4,068 this year) it paid to the organization each year to build up the continuing education fund that could soon help a variety of students looking to make changes in the area of social justice, from an aspiring social worker looking to work with police on mental health calls to a future litigator.
Owner Anthony Agtarap said he came up with the fund as a way to create a small piece of lasting change.
“People were putting black squares up [on Instagram] during that time, but that means nothing if you don’t back it up,” he said.
In early June, George Floyd had recently been killed on the streets of Minneapolis after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes through pleas of “I can’t breathe.” The incident, captured on video, sparked worldwide protests calling for an end to police brutality and wider systemic racism.
But in the following days, longtime CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman’s sparked a backlash online following a series of controversial Tweets. Public outcry only grew after Buzz Feed News reported a private Zoom call hours before the controversial Tweets, in which Glassman told employees “We're not mourning for George Floyd — I don't think me or any of my staff are.”
Across the world, hundreds of CrossFit gyms began to de-affiliate or pause their connection to the CrossFit brand, which is known for its loyal followers and workouts that incorporate such movements as high-intensity interval training, Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting.
In Port Moody, Engineered Bodies was adjusting to new provincial protocols following several weeks of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, it preempted the wave of discontent. A day before Glassman’s comments, the gym released a statement condemning CrossFit as one of the organizations that have “remained silent” as protests raged.
“To be silent in the face of racism and discrimination is to be complicit,” they wrote, before declaring they would be ending their affiliation with the company.
“We were the first ones in the Lower Mainland,” said Agtarap at the time. “That was prior to everyone else jumping ship.”
At the same time, the gym was working to stay afloat and the owners had lent out nearly all the gym’s equipment — from Kettle and dumbbells to weight plates and rowers — so members could work out from home and stay engaged.
“It’s not business as usual, but we’ve made the best of the situation,” said Agtarap. “We’ve actually signed up 18 or 20 people since the reopening.”
Now that classes are back up and running, Agtarap said he plans to hold a series of “Black Lives Matter Social Saturdays” starting Aug. 8, where members can sign up for a class and donate to the new fund at their discretion. Non-members can also make tax-deductible donations here.
The gym worked with the Coquitlam Foundation to set up the new continuing education fund. Once it reaches $10,000 (likely next summer), roughly 6% will be distributed each year, and as it grows, so too will the sizes of the distributions.
“We want to make some social change. We can’t do that with pushups and pull-ups,” said Agtarap.
The gym has also created six, year-long strength and conditioning memberships for Black and Indigenous people in the Tri-Cities who are looking for the kind of positive experience the gym can offer but who usually can’t afford it.
So far, one adult woman has been signed up, with the other spots likely to be filled by youth once organizers can coordinate placements with School District 43.
And while the Port Moody gym pushes to ensure the Black Lives Matter moment has a lasting impact in the Tri-Cities, CrossFit’s corporate culture is still lagging behind, according to Agatrap.
“Some people in the Lower Mainland, they’re hardcore. Once the CEO was gone they were back at it [under the CrossFit brand],” he said, pointing to corporate headquarters. “At the end of the day, they still need to make some big, big changes in ensuring diversity.”
“[Optics] means nothing until you make real change.”
