Equity

Chema Hernandez Gil’s background is “in engineering, with a heavy dose of community and media activism.” A perfect mix for bike advocacy, right? Hernandez Gil is a community organization at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, using both his engineering and community skills on campaigns for better infrastructure and on a collaborative program that gets reclaimed bicycles into the hands of low-income community members.

Last year, at the California By Bike Summit, I was drawn to a session that asked a provocative question: “Who is mainstream?” Led by Miguel Ramos and Laura Torres from Multicultural Communities for Mobility in Los Angeles, the workshop examined the a complex topic: How can we connect the outcomes of bicycle advocacy with the inputs of diverse, previously overlooked communities.

When Monica Garrison re-discovered bicycling as an adult, the attraction was instant — but something was missing. “I was becoming completely addicted to that full-on feeling of freedom and euphoria, [but,] as I rode around my town, I started to realize how very few African American women I saw riding,” she says.

Usually when you start a conference call, the participants chit chat for a few minutes as you wait for everyone’s voice to chime in. When we did our first planning call with James Rojas, the keynote speaker for Future Bike, things were a little different.

The first time I met Sam Ollinger, she was commanding the room with insightful thoughts on the importance of political engagement during a Q&A portion of the National Women’s Bicycling Summit. She certainly knew what she was talking about — and we’re excited to have her insight on cultivating diverse leadership at Future Bike next month.

After starting a model Major Taylor Project that works with youth in underserved communities in Seattle, Ed Ewing is now the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Cascade Bicycle Club, one of the largest bicycle organizations in the country. Hear his thoughts on cultivating diverse leadership at Future Bike on September 11.

Two years after the first National Women’s Bicycling Summit, we’re breaking new ground again at the Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro Place conference with our “Future Bike” event on September 11. With the help of these speakers, we’ll delve into important conversations that are absolutely critical to the future success of the bike movement.

Zakcq Lockrem works at the intersection of creativity and inclusion. As an urban planner, his philosophy doesn’t just include sustainability and active transportation, but designing for “a multiplicity of identities, histories, and experiences.” At Future Bike, Lockrem will share his thoughts on a high-profile but complex question: How do we incorporate equity into bike planning?

Our Future Bike forum this September integrates the efforts of our Women Bike and Equity initiatives, meeting at the intersection of mobility and identity. For speaker Joanna Bernstein, it’s also a confluence of her professional work with local immigrants and her personal passion for bicycling. Read more and register for Future Bike today!

Naomi Doerner is at the helm of change. She began her new job as the Executive Director of Bike Easy in April, and it’s her job to help guide the New Orleans advocacy organization as it asks itself, “What does bike equity mean in our work?” Doerner will bring her expertise and lessons learned to our Future Bike event on Sept 11. Read more about her work and sign up for Future Bike today!