Rising Hearts at the 129th Boston Marathon 2025

Stay tuned to this page for updates, tentative schedule of events and fundraising opportunities!

Rising Hearts is committed to helping the running and outdoor spaces a more safe, supportive, diverse, inclusive, accessible and equitable space, not just for Indigenous runners, but for everyone who enjoys movement and who wants to see themselves in these spaces!

That’s why, we are excited to continue our partnership with the BAA and On Running to bring more community experience to this world major marathon as we continue to advocate for improved paths forward for representation, diversity, equity, access, and safety in the run and movement spaces we want to see ourselves in and be part of.

Stay tuned for more announcements, fundraisers and content via our newsletters, blogs and socials!

Tentative Schedule of Events:
+ 4/18: Indigenous / Community Runners Panel (Still being confirmed)
Location: Boston Marathon Expo | TBD

+ 4/19: 11-1PM Meet and greet / blessing of runners with Rising Hearts x On Running
Representation and Kinship Building in the Run Community (Panelists being confirmed)
Location: Lyrick, 400 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115
Sponsor VENUE support: On Running

Orgs Present: Rising Hearts, Native Strength Revolution, Wings of America, More to Be Added
Agenda:
+ Welcome everyone (11am)
+ Land Blessing (11:05am)
+ Blessing of Runners (11:10am)
+ Representation and Kinship Building Panel (11:30am - 30min)
+ Light food and refreshments
+ Meet and greet (Concludes 1pm)

+ We will also share local community events we will be trying to go to / shakeout runs!

+ 4/21: Sharing the community centered CHEER SPOTS
TBD

Kali KO Mequinonoag Reis (Seaconke Wampanoag, Cape Verde)
Citizen of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe, Kali is the first Indigenous Woman fighter to become a World Boxing Champion. First Recipient of the Rhode Island Community Hero Award. the North American Indigenous Athletic Hall of Fame in January 2022. She received the “Key to the City '' in her hometown city of East Providence Rhode Island in front of her friends and family. Reis is also the proud recipient of the “Misty Upham Award” which was presented at the 2022 Red Nation International Film Festivals tribute award ceremony. Kali has also attained 6 World Titles in 2 weight classes picking up the WBA IBO & WBO Super Lightweight World titles in 2021/2022; IBA UBF & WBC Middleweight titles 2015/2016. Kali’s win of the WBC Middleweight World Title made history as the first world title fought in New Zealand. Kali also made history when she participated in HBOs’ first ever Women’s televised bout in 2018.

In 2021 - Catch the Fair One; it was Kali’s acting debut, lead roll and writing credit. This film highlights one of Kali’s causes. The film highlights the MMIW epidemic & earned a Special Jury Mention award at the Tribeca film festival. In March that same year an Indie Film Spirit Award nominee for Best Female Lead Actress was announced for Reis’ performance. Kali also won the Best Actress award at the Newport Beach Film Festival 2021 for the film. The film released February 2022 & Reis was nominated for Breakthrough Performer at the 2022 Gotham awards. Kali is building a career as an actor including a part in ‘Asphalt City’ that premiered March 29 2024 as well as the film ‘Mercy’ with Chris Pratt & Rebecca Ferguson which is currently in post production.

Living up to her given name Mequinonoag [Many Feathers/Many Talents], Kali is a certified Motorcycle/Small Engines Technician and has worked as a Residential Counselor since 2009. She has found healing in sharing her story & mentoring troubled youth with a relatable approach, as well as traveling to speak with and support various communities in hopes of being a positive example to “Never throw in the towel no matter what punches life throws at you”. 

“Many Feathers” Kali Reis aspires to continue finding ways to give a “voice to the voiceless”; whether it be fighting inside or outside of the ring or even in front of a camera telling OUR STORIES. She won’t “stop until that bell rings”!  

Kali was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her work in True Detective with the ceremony premiering live September 15, 2024. Kali is representing her community powerfully!

Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone (Sičangu Lakota)
Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone, a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, is a fourth generation runner, athlete advocate, community organizer, project manager, filmmaker, founder of Rising Hearts and a mom to a 3 year old and 1 year old twin girls.

Since the 2019 Boston Marathon, she uses her platform - #RunningForJustice, to help raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives by dedicating the miles she runs to a missing or murdered Indigenous person - their families, survivors and advocates WHILE CONTINUOUSLY AND PASSIONATELY FUNDRAISING TO GIVE BACK TO THE HEART WORK THE FAMILIES, ADVOCATES AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE CONSTANTLY DOING.

Jordan is committed to helping make the running and community spaces a more equitable, safe, visible, supportive, diverse, inclusive, affordable and accessible place for people today and the next generations through storytelling, Rising Hearts Race organizing, Running with Purpose Athlete Advocate program and Running On Native Lands programs.

Races like the Boston Marathon aren’t cheap, so if you’d like to help sponsor Kali and Jordan (4 other Rising Hearts runners that will be there as well including our Athlete Advocates), make a donation or reach out to info@rising-hearts.org:

RUNNING FOR JUSTICE FUNDRAISER

The You Are Loved Community Grant Program:
The You Are Loved Community Grant program was created to help provide the financial resources to the families and communities within the MMIR space that need support in fighting for justice, accountability, healing, and a safer future.

This community grant program is a direct services pathway for families, advocates and organizations to submit your request for on a rolling basis. We hope to raise the $100,000 + to get this program started, with a long term goal of sustaining this resource for community and outside agencies to continue to donate to or fundraise for. Our larger goal we hope to reach, is $250,000.

Jordan and Kali are both signed up for a half marathon in DC and Philly, and the Boston Marathon to fundraise for the You Are Loved Community Grant Program! Rising Hearts will be partnering in kinship with the Urban Indigenous Collective and. support their MMIP Taskforce. UIC is located on Lenapehoking lands and it’s important for Rising Hearts to collaborate in meaningful ways with groups local and with a close connection to MMIP Advocates and Families in the surrounding areas. If the $100k is raised or more, Rising Hearts will plan to allocate $20k of funds directly to support the needs the MMIP Taskforce and those they work with and support.

Applications will go live May 2025 on a rolling basis, need basis and urgency basis:
+ Examples of Need Basis: mental health and wellness costs / access, printing costs, banners, shirts for awareness / memorials, direct assistance for family / families, impact campaign / storytelling that will directly uplift and support loved one / families
+ Examples of Urgency Basis: Funeral costs, vigils, search and rescue, DNA testing to expedite progress in loved ones case, MMIR based conference / Federal listening session

How To Learn More + Donate:
To donate, you can start now! Visit www.risinghearts.org/youareloved to learn more about the You Are Loved Community Grant Program, our why, how it can help and allocation of funds if one or both goals are reached!

Stay Up To Date:
Subscribe to the Rising Hearts newsletter - www.risinghearts.org or visit our blog www.risinghearts.org/blog for updates about fundraising, follow us at @rising_hearts on IG | @nativein_la | @kali_ko_reis

Urban Indigenous Collective (UIC):
UIC supports access to culturally-tailored health and wellness services for self-identified Indigenous peoples in Lenapehoking and the greater NYC area (NY, NJ, CT, PA) through community-based participatory research, advocacy, community programming, and direct services.

MMIP Taskforce:
Urban Indigenous Collective (UIC) has gathered a MMIWGT2S Task Force,  "Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Task Force" a collaborative and community-driven initiative made up of survivors, relatives of MMIP (Missing and Murdered Indigenous People), matriarchs, clan mothers, and elders, the Task Force draws its members from Tribal Nations spanning the tri-state area and its surrounding regions.  Advising UIC's MMIWGT2S NYC+ program, this Task Force was assembled with the purpose of advocating for victims and survivors, providing peer support to movement leaders who are survivors, and creating a platform for survivor voices, so that the world can learn directly from survivors and relatives of MMIP’s.

Glossary:
MMIR = Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives
MMIP = Missing and Murdered Indigenous People