BIKING WHILE BLACK
CONTINUING TO RIDE
Through Decriminalization, Disenfranchisement & Gentrification
A ROADMAP TO JUSTICE AND JOY
"Reimagine: Biking While Black" spotlights the personal stories of mobility justice advocates, providing a frontline view of their tireless efforts to center justice and joy in all that they do. It's a testament to the strength of community, the power of storytelling, and the impact of collective action.
Key Highlights Include:
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In-Depth Survey Insights: Never-before-collected data from a diverse range of BIPOC bicyclists, offering a comprehensive look at the challenges and triumphs they experience on the road.
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Intersectional Narratives: Personal stories from mobility justice advocates who have dedicated their lives to breaking down barriers and championing inclusivity in the cycling world.
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Actionable Roadmap: Practical recommendations and strategies to promote equity, safety, and joy in cycling, benefiting both BIPOC communities and the broader society.
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Resources and Further Reading: A wealth of additional information and resources for those looking to engage with the Biking While Black movement and support its mission. Yolanda Davis-Overstreet
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REIMAGINE: BIKING WHILE BLACK: was made possible by a grant from Go Human, a project of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).
What's inside
Key Definitions
A Message from Yolanda
Biking While Black Film Story
Prioritizing Black Lives
Cast Members Insights
Biking While Black Survey
Check Before You Ride
Policy and Legislative Watch
Connecting Our Movement
Bike and Social Justice Orgs
Know Your Rights
Moving Forward
a message from Yolanda
Twelve years ago, I asked the question, “why doesn’t my neighborhood have bike lanes?”
I grew up riding bikes in my community, in what is now called West Adams. At times roll’en strong on my Schwinn Stingray in the 1960s and 70s – two on the seat and someone on the handlebars! We never asked why our streets and sidewalks were crumbling, why there weren’t crosswalks, or why there was always so much trash next to the curb. No one at the time told us in elementary school or even high school that our community was historically redlined, and that we were experiencing a form of systemic oppression based on the residuals of the social and environmental injustices. It wasn’t until I
evolved into my thirties and forties, after doing the AIDS RIDE in 1997, joining a bicycling riding group in Inglewood that at the time was called City of Bicycles, becoming a mom to a son and daughter – all in the 90s and early 2000s, that my bicycling journey brought me to the crossroads of mobility justice. And for the next twenty years, I would deconstruct my colonized ways of seeing mobility, our lived spaces and wellness, and reconstruct aka restore my innate understanding into ways of activating change to make my community of color more safe to bicycle, walk, and thrive.
Over the past two-years the Biking While Black film advocacy and community engagement work has enabled me and my team to conduct meaningful community gatherings and conversations around how we each can play a role in addressing traffic violence, disenfranchisement, police enforcement and racial profiling practices, all the way to addressing how bicycling can become safer for all Black and BIPOC Lives. This Guide – Reimagine Biking While Black: A Roadmap to Justice and Joy, expands upon the film’s cast discussion, as well as our mobility justice work and leads us into the process of reimagining our community streets, safety, justice, and joy! It aims to outline a thought-out and caretaking approach that will guide us with a range of shared insights, culturally sensitive data, key legislation activity, bicycling organizations that support BIPOC,
and more!
I hope Reimagine Biking While Black: A Roadmap to Justice and Joy can play a role in making your roll safer, more informed, resilient, and even add a lil more Joy to your life!
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