Cycling a Century for Change
Tax deductible
On August 1st, my dad and I will be riding 105 miles (our first century!) to raise money for Outdoor Afro, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating inclusion and leadership for Black people in the outdoors.
As white cyclists, we have never felt unsafe or unwelcome due to our race in nature or on our streets. For us, cycling is a way to connect with nature and with each other, to maintain our physical and mental health, and to feel a sense of freedom. We recognize that this is not the case for Black people occupying these same public spaces or partaking in these same activities. In February, Ahmaud Arbery was shot by two white men while on a run in his own neighborhood. While bird watching on Memorial Day, Christian Cooper had the cops called on him by a white woman in Central Park. His crime? Asking her to leash her dog in an area of the park where dogs were in fact required to be leashed. In both cases, simply existing in the public realm became a privilege not extended to Black people: more than just isolated cases, they are rooted in a long history of racism, segregation, and exclusion in the outdoors.
Access to the outdoors and nature, a healthy lifestyle and exercise, the freedom to exist without the fear of getting shot should not be a privilege dictated by one’s race. One bike ride certainly will not undo the centuries of systemic racism that dictate who feels safe in nature and our public spaces, and we recognize that access to the outdoors is only one facet of a much larger fight for racial equity, but as cyclists we hope to use our platform & privilege to build a more inclusive and just outdoor community. You can learn more about how Outdoor Afro is doing just that here. We will be matching the first $525 of donations ($5 a mile!), and any size donation is wonderful!
Check out TOGETHER Bay Area’s Anti Racism Reading List to learn more about racism and the environment.
As white cyclists, we have never felt unsafe or unwelcome due to our race in nature or on our streets. For us, cycling is a way to connect with nature and with each other, to maintain our physical and mental health, and to feel a sense of freedom. We recognize that this is not the case for Black people occupying these same public spaces or partaking in these same activities. In February, Ahmaud Arbery was shot by two white men while on a run in his own neighborhood. While bird watching on Memorial Day, Christian Cooper had the cops called on him by a white woman in Central Park. His crime? Asking her to leash her dog in an area of the park where dogs were in fact required to be leashed. In both cases, simply existing in the public realm became a privilege not extended to Black people: more than just isolated cases, they are rooted in a long history of racism, segregation, and exclusion in the outdoors.
Access to the outdoors and nature, a healthy lifestyle and exercise, the freedom to exist without the fear of getting shot should not be a privilege dictated by one’s race. One bike ride certainly will not undo the centuries of systemic racism that dictate who feels safe in nature and our public spaces, and we recognize that access to the outdoors is only one facet of a much larger fight for racial equity, but as cyclists we hope to use our platform & privilege to build a more inclusive and just outdoor community. You can learn more about how Outdoor Afro is doing just that here. We will be matching the first $525 of donations ($5 a mile!), and any size donation is wonderful!
Check out TOGETHER Bay Area’s Anti Racism Reading List to learn more about racism and the environment.
Fundraising team: Quentin & Matt Freeman (2)
Quentin Freeman
Organizer
Santa Cruz, CA
Outdoor Afro
Beneficiary
Matt Freeman
Team member