Bicycle Friendly America Fall 2016 - 33

since I can't be everywhere all the time, and though contacts are things you can pass on, relationships aren't. I think some of the most valuable things that I took away have to do with thinking more holistically about true transportation equity, and what that would mean for all communities- especially marginalized ones-for cyclists and pedestrians alike. An example of that was hearing folks talk about Vision Zero with a more critical eye, specifically how problematic and dangerous it is to frame Vision Zero in terms of increased policing and enforcement of laws and how this disproportionately affects communities of color. That really helped me think more broadly about how the bike advocacy movement intersects with other social movements. I'd definitely been thinking about these issues in terms of feminism and race and working with that in mind, but mostly around the goals of getting more folks on bikes. That conversation really broadened the context of how these issues interact with each other in the bigger transit advocacy conversation. For the WE Bike NYC leadership, we're thinking more about how to get more of the volunteers more "facetime" with people in other organizations in the bike community so that people know that WE're more than just me. We're also having more conversations around what our work "means" rather than just planning the rides and events. Though that's important, we want to also think more about how our work fits in on a local/ state/national level in a comprehensive way. When speaking to funders and partners she was not all about biking. She added race and gender into the conversations. Through her approach she was able to double the amount of money coming into the organization. There's a different movement happening. It's not just about biking, you have to talk and deal with the issues of social justice and equality. Biking brings up a slew of other issues that need to be dealt with in communities of needs but biking is also a solution. Low-income communities usually suffer from obesity and chronic heart diseases because the food choices they have and poor street/sidewalk infrastructure built. Communities Monica Garrison, Black Girls Do Bike!, Pittsburgh, PA like this need to be firm in their advocacy to improve the health My experience at this event helped narrow my focus in terms and well being of the residents. of the content I share via BlackGirlsDoBike.com's social media outlets. I learned of recently collected data that pinpoints what Casey Ashenhurst, Director, WE Bike NYC, New York, NY a female audience looks for when deciding to align herself with I had never proposed or organized a panel, and I hadn't ever a brand or organization. I was encouraged to create "moments lobbied on the Hill before-I'd only been able to go to one day of authenticity" when choosing images to share. I am moving of the conference in the past was a big takeaway for me. Also, forward with the mindset that with every post I should be "reI think another takeaway I had (which seems obvious) is that inforcing her beliefs of what she believes she is or can become." building these relationships in the bigger bike community is That is a practical strategy that I can put into practice every day, important for people in our leadership other than me to do, and it gives me a new lens through which to view my organiza- BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA 33 http://www.blackgirlsdobike.com/ http://www.webikenyc.org/

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