Why We Must Talk About Race When We Talk About Bikes

Systemic racism can’t be fixed without tackling it within cycling. [ view in [browser](. add bicycling@email.bicycling.com to your address book ] [Bicycling.com]( FOLLOW US [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [You Tube]( [Why We Must Talk About Race When We Talk About Bikes]( In the winter of 2014, I was just leaving a job at a nonprofit I had thought was my dream job. As a gender nonconforming, queer, Black woman, I was working on LGBTQ issues and leading a Boys and Men of Color program at an organization on the frontlines with community organizers. Unfortunately, as is all too common for women of color—and particularly Black women—in the workplace, I experienced racism and anti-Blackness. I was reeling. How could I ever find a job that would feed my soul in the same way? That's when I learned about the Executive Director position at the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC). At first, I wasn't sure about working at a bicycle organization. Sure, riding my bike made me feel free. I was still riding the high of pedaling 545 miles in the AIDS/LifeCycle fundraiser. I wanted to ride my bike everywhere in my daily life. And after the stress of being a civil rights lawyer and social justice nonprofit leader, the idea of a job where I got to be on my bike all day seemed absolutely blissful. I knew some of my friends would question how I could work at a bike coalition. After all, many see bike lanes as one of the first signs of gentrification. [READ ON]( [bicycling.com]( [The Next Great Bike Boom Is Here. Let's Not Ruin It.]( We can do this: Offer new riders a spare tube—not a critique of their sock height. [Read On]( [bicycling.com]( [The 16 Best Mountain Bike Shoes You Can Buy Right Now]( Our favorite flat and clipless trail kicks for men and women. [Read On]( [bicycling.com]( [This Cyclist Wanted to Be Fast—So He Dropped 87 Pounds]( “We don’t get better if we stop when training gets uncomfortable.” [Read On]( [bicycling.com]( [SRAM Eagle 520 Flattens the Hills and Shifts Like a Dream]( New 10-52 cassette offers 20 percent more range [Read On]( [bicycling.com]( [Here’s How Much Exercise You Need to Boost Your Immune System]( Daily rides can be beneficial even during a global pandemic—but to an extent. [Read On]( [bicycling.com]( ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019 [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Notice](