When Jean Bell ’83 (née Jones) was in elementary school in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, her older brother started a girls’ track team and invited Bell, her sister, and their friends to join. Running gave her a sense of freedom, a feeling of speed—she was hooked.
Decades later, she’s still running—and a recent Netflix documentary is sharing her story with the world. The film, Sisters on Track, follows Brooke, Rainn, and Tai Sheppard, who are members of Jeuness Track Club, an all-girls team founded and coached by Bell. The teenage sisters gained national attention after participating in the 2016 Junior Olympics and being named Sports Illustrated’s SportsKids of the Year, leading to a dinner with LeBron James, Michael Phelps, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé, and appearances on The View.
This profile originally appeared in the fall 2021 issue of Brooklyn Law Notes.