Holding Ourselves Accountable

The summer of 2020 has laid bare wide-ranging, deeply systemic racism and bigotry, and the world of bicycling has its fair share. For a primer:

• Learn about the human cost of bringing bike parts to your local shops (including ours) at @fixthebikeindustry and Fix the Bike Industry
• Listen to what it’s like to be a Black femme bike mechanic in Episode 13 of the Quick Brown Foxes podcast
• Read about the difficulty of “[normalizing] Blackness in outdoor spaces” in this The Black Foxes blog post

For a deeper dive:

• Read Bicycle/Race by Adonia Lugo
• Watch this webinar discussion about “Purple Lining” and the historic and ongoing role of racism in urban planning

BikeAthens recognizes that we play a part in this system, from the inherent bias in how we attract board members and volunteers, to purchasing parts and supplies from an exploitative and exclusive supply chain. We intend to hold ourselves accountable, and this is not the end of the discussion, but the beginning. Here are some of our first steps:

1. We have already donated $500 to The Professional Bicycle Mechanics BIPOC UBI Scholarship fundraiser. We encourage you to donate as well, and we strongly encourage eligible folx to apply when applications open.
2. We will use the discussion around the issues above as an opportunity to be more introspective and seek feedback about how our organization can be more inclusive in all of our activities.
3. We will encourage the entire Athens bike community to think about what they can do to make our part of the bicycling world more inclusive. Please go back to the top of the post and dive into those links.