RBG-Oakland! Once again you’ve made the Town beautiful! Thank you so much to our riders who graced the streets of Oakland last weekend. You all continue to change the landscape wherever you go, putting smiles on elders faces, reminding kids to be kids, and even adding a splash of melanin to the yacht club gathering in Jack London square.
Saturday was a beautiful day for a historical bike ride through Black Oakland. RBG riders paid homage at Bobby Hutton Park, and the U.N.I.A. building of West Oakland. Many thanks to Bikes 4 Life for the warm reception at our water stop, and to Coffee with a Beat for keeping their doors open to some hungry riders at the end of the day. We welcome all the new riders, and we look forward to seeing your faces throughout the 2012 season.
Special thanks to JR of KPFA’s Block Report Radio, Brent Green of The Green Scene, and Xan West of KQED’s OuRXperience, for helping to spread the word throughout the black community.
If you missed our last ride, no worries. The next one will commence on First Friday, May 4 at 6:30pm, Lake Merritt (@Embarcadero & Grand). We will ride out at 7pm.
click image above for photos from Chicago’s Spring Kick-Off Ride
Chi-town. April 14 was a day filled with clouds that threatened to rain down on us at any moment. Super-hyped by a pre-ride shout-out and stretch with NBC-5’s Saran Dunmore, we rode strong. We mastered traffic and potholes, finding community with each other & environment. A warm thanks to our ride leaders Sam & Prudence. A shout out to all the riders who brought tools & skills (Constance, Damian, Jim)!
Our passage through historic Bronzeville was reflective – a community in transition we took it all in. Condos butted up against community centers for the underserved. We learned about the neighborhood’s future via the Bronzeville Community Garden & Bernard Lloyd. At the Garden, Chef T of Majani Catering hooked up the most amazing jerk tofu wraps & sweet potato fries. Rested and fed we made our way back up the lakefront, a tight group of new friends committed to the movement in a new city.
Anticipation is mounting in Chi and many folks want to know what’s next. Chicago’s Green Festival is MAY 5 & 6 and Majani Catering is offering FREE passes to all who sign up. Our next ride is Saturday, May 12 at 10am, Buckingham Fountain. We’re taking it Far South! Get there early for stretch, warm up, and road rules. We’ll be a presence at city rides this season: Bike the Drive (5/27), Late Ride (6/30), and Four Star (8/26). Stay tuned for initiatives around Bike to School Day (May 9) and Bike to Work Week (Jun 11-17) & MORE!
To keep up with Chi-town updates, make sure to keep your eye on the RBG website.
Click image above for photos from Atlanta’s Spring Kick-Off Ride
On a perfect Saturday afternoon on the west side of Atlanta, a group of black folks gathered to ride bikes. Folks were giddy with excitement about the ride about to take place. 60 of us hopped on bikes and took to the streets ready to make a statement. The black bike community in Atlanta rolls deep!
There were folks of all ages, lifestyles, political views, and biking experience. Metro Atlanta Cycling Club, Boxcar Grocer owner Alphonso Cross, Hiphop artist Ekundayo Mountenliun, reps from the Zulu Nation, ATL Funklordz and ATL Lows Lows, Parents, lovers, sistas, newbies and old heads were representin’ somethin’ serious. All with one thing in common: we wanted to have a bad ass time riding our bikes together as community. And indeed we did. The smiles were from ear to ear, laughter filled the air, and the energy was pure bliss.
Bystanders stopped, stared, and cheered on the RBG-Altanta’s Inaugural Ride. Communities were truly happy to see us roll through, a feeling of “WOW look at them go!”, “Where in the world did they come from?” and a welcoming feeling embraced by all the riders. Communities greeted us as we did them, some hopped on the ride, too, as we invited bystanders to join us. It was beautiful to commune in this way.
The bike magic remained post-ride. Many folks had dinner together and bike caravanned to the “it’s Bigger Than Bikes” fundraiser & after party. Dj Lynee Denise and dj mikeflo (Dead Prez) turned the party out at historic Pal’s Lounge. As the bass hit, folks danced the night away connecting & building with new faces they met on the ride.
We thank everyone who joined us on this spectacular day. Your presence is appreciated. We look forward to seeing everyone ride with us on our next ride May 12th, 3pm, Gordon White Park. Everyone is welcome, families are encouraged to participate. Childcare will be provided if parents do not want to ride with their children. Please bring a friend to enjoy the Red Bike & Green experience.
For more information about upcoming events and rides please email [email protected].
