PureGym has come under fire for launching slavery-based fitness class as part of Black History Month celebrations
The workout was announced on the Facebook page of PureGym’s Luton & Dunstable branch, and the class itself is called « 12 Years Of Slave », based on the 2013 Oscar-winning film with a similar title
The Facebook post, which has now been deleted, is read; « Slavery was hard and so is it, » and the training itself includes short sprints, burpees, deadlifts and other difficult movements
« Entitled ’12YearsOfSlave’ (after the epic movie) this is our workout of the month designed by @mattsimpt to celebrate Black History Month, » read the announcement posted on the social media page of the sport room
« The twist is 1 rep of your first exercise, 2 of the second, but before you move on to the third exercise, which is also 3 reps, you have to start at the beginning to continue AND this is how it goes. training «
However, many people don’t think that creating a workout based on the challenges of slavery is the best way to celebrate Black History Month In fact, many people who have seen the ad are extremely offended
« Oh wow this is embarrassing – please delete this, take diversity training for all of your staff and replace it with a long and detailed apology !!! » wrote a gym fan
« Pure Gym must have an offensively deaf marketing team thinking it’s okay to compare a workout to ffs slavery, » another added.
Someone else asked, « Please tell me you don’t seriously equate going to the gym with the horrors of the slave trade ?! »
Many angry people in the comments are eager for the gym to apologize for the post, and others have pointed out that a better way to celebrate Black History Month would be to train staff effectively on diversity issues
Just hours before posting the ad for the « 12 Years Of Slave » workout, Luton gym & Dunstable posted an inspiring post about celebrating black history on their Facebook page – this has also been deleted
« The profile of racial indifference has never been higher for some of us, » reads the article, « We can only hope for change, but while we do, this month let’s profile the life changers who made so much possible for us «
The message was accompanied by a photo of Martin Luther King with his famous quote « I have a dream »
A representative from PureGym told Metrocouk that the company « apologizes wholeheartedly » for the Facebook post
« This post is completely unacceptable, was not approved or approved by the company and was deleted as soon as it was brought to our attention, » they say
« Each of our 271 gyms has their own social media channels which are managed locally. We take this issue very seriously and are urgently investigating how and why this post was published »
October marks Black History Month, which reflects on the achievements, cultures and contributions of black people in the UK and around the world, as well as on the diverse history of people from African and Caribbean origin
For more information on the events and celebrations taking place this year, visit the official Black History Month website
PureGym, Exercise, African American history, Black History Month, PureGym Luton and Dunstable, 12 years of slave
News from the world – GB – PureGym criticized for initiating slavery-based training for Black History Month
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
