Bicycle Friendly America Fall 2016 - 32

BICYCLE FRIENDLY BUSINESS INSPIRATIONS FROM THE NATIONAL BIKE SUMMIT Maria Sipin, Advisory Board Co-chair, Multicultural Communities for Mobility, Los Angeles, CA The National Bike Summit & Women's Forum over the past three years has been a place to expand my networks and gain a better understanding of issues concerning local leaders in their respective communities. This knowledge has strengthened my ability as an advisory board member to advocate for my organization's needs and position with respect to issues such as Vision Zero, bikeshare, and ongoing leadership development for advocates at all levels. I am able to better prioritize how to address these matters with my team as key stakeholders in Los Angeles continue to seek ways to facilitate and transform local power structures and increase community participation to affect change in our neighborhoods. T he League offered scholarships to the 2016 National Bike Summit & Women's Forum to leaders in the active transportation movement from around the country. Here, five of those leaders share what they learned at the Summit and how they are applying that knowledge and experience in their communities. Multicultural Communities for Mobility has been able to work more effectively within our community as we have become more informed, engaged and involved in shaping discussions and actions related to transforming local power structures, developing priorities for Vision Zero with the Los Angeles Vision Zero Alliance, and making recommendations to improve bike share through the Better Bike Share Partnership with Metro, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), and LADOT. Attending the Summit & Women's Forum reminds my team at Multicultural Communities for Mobility that we must continue to participate in challenging spaces and reminds us that our identities as people of color and young professionals, our dedication and our contributions have value. Shavel'le Olivier, Co-Chair, Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, Mattapan, MA The most valuable takeaway from the Summit and Women's Forum was the session on Defining Bike Advocacy through Women's Leadership and Equity Priorities. Tamika Butler shared her experiences about her journey into becoming the Executive Director at the LACBC. What was eye-opening was that she came into her position with a different perspective. 32 BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA http://www.multicultimobility.org/ http://www.multicultimobility.org/ https://nationalbikesummit2016.sched.org/ http://www.visionzeroinitiative.com/ http://www.visionzeroalliance.org/ http://www.visionzeroalliance.org/ http://www.betterbikeshare.org/ http://www.la-bike.org/ http://www.mattapanfoodandfitness.org/ http://www.mattapanfoodandfitness.org/ http://www.la-bike.org/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bicycle Friendly America Fall 2016