CCHS Color Run

500 Walden Street,Concord MA 01742

06 May, 2023

Description

Tickets cost $8 in advance and $10 at the door. The event will meet at the entrance of Memorial Field but will involve running all around the campus. Please wear white, and we highly suggest sun protection and sunglasses. You will need to present your ticket. The Student Senate would like to take a moment to acknowledge the history of the Colour Run, and its relation with the Hindu festival of Holi. The Colour Run, as an event, was started in 2011 by the company “Color Run LLC”. When listing their inspirations for the event, they say “[We were inspired by] several awesome events, including Disney’s World of Color, Colour Parties, Mud Runs, and festivals throughout the world such as Holi”. At first glance, they seem to pay tribute to the original festival that their event was either plagiarised from or inspired by; take your pick. However, when you look deeper into the history of the event, the issues regarding the appropriation of Holi becomes more clear. For starters, they have trademarked the Color Run. Now, a trademark is defined as “a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others”. This quote by Aminta Kilawa sums up the issue quite nicely though “Let’s be honest: If you take a look at photos advertising the event, a logical person could very readily mistake the event for a Holi celebration,”. The company that has popularised this event has also trademarked what essentially amounts to Holi celebrations. Now, we all know the various quotes about the Sins of the Father and all that, and that is why the Student Senate has refrained from using the Color Run LLC’s services, and organized this event from the ground up, and furthermore, why the Student Senate has seen it fit to acknowledge the history of the Color Run, and its relationship with, and appropriation of, Holi. Holi is a Hindu holiday, originating from a story about Krishna and Radha. Krishna was in love with Radha, but was afraid that she wouldn’t love him back because of the color of his skin. Krishna’s mother joked that he could use colored powder to make his skin the same color as Radha’s, and thus Holi was born. Holi also celebrates the start of spring, and the triumph of good over evil. When considering events like the Color Run, it is not necessarily unethical to participate in them, but one must keep in mind the context in which they engage in the event, and the cultural and religious history of the original celebrations. Reach out to Iola Chen ([email protected]) or Harry Crowley ([email protected]) if you have any questions.