Shop BIPOC and WTF Cycling Brands
Published On Patreon Dec 1, 2019
Hi All, welcome to our Syllabus Sunday where we share information, books, journals, videos, podcast, and articles to educate you on topics related to mobility justice and cycling. Only today we are doing something a little different!
For at least 10 years I existed as women’s cycling activist blogger or what is known today as an “influencer”. Much of my work done on the blog was critiquing cycling culture and product reviews that aligned with my values. I was gifted but never offered compensation through payment. I did a lot of free labor to be recognized in this space and worked tirelessly to make cycling more accessible to WOC and plus sized women. Being a micro-influencer helped me to meet a lot of small business owners, BIPOC folx, and learn the struggles of what it takes to become an influencer in cycling.
Every year, cycling media outlets would round up lists of women cycling influencers to follow and cycling businesses to support. Time and time again, the familiar discomfort would rise up in me of what I was seeing. I saw white influencers and white-owned cycling brands being centered and promoted in ways that were not consistent with what I saw happening for their Black, Indigenous, and other people of color counterparts who were doing the best work as influencers and brands.
This was saying to me, through the lens as a Native-Xicana, that the oppression of white supremacy also means that despite their significant contributions to creative work in cycling spaces, BIPOC-owned brands and BIPOC makers and influencers, weren’t being amplified at the same rate. I craved a BIPOC cycling community that more fully represented the range of people, product, and brands that I knew already existed—one that didn’t deny the talent and lived experiences of BIPOC creatives.
I created Cyclista zine in an effort to find that community. I wanted to connect with more cycling lovers and activist, who, like me, are people of color sharing our experiences and working to make these online cycling spaces more inclusive. The experience of sharing, witnessing, connecting, and holding space for these narratives in through the zine has been profoundly healing and cathartic. Because of our experiences and my ongoing frustrations around the lack of representation in the cycling community, I decided to support voices and brands only from BIPOC and WTF folks. Meaning I am committed to making all my personal, fashion, and cycling purchases exclusively from sustainable and ethical BIPOC and WTF makers and brands.
We still live in a world where so many of us are not allowed the dignity of being our whole selves in the spaces we occupy. I want to be a part of creating a space especially where BIPOC can be our full selves, centered, and celebrated. I want to deepen my commitment to what ethical products means to me, which is amplifying the work of BIPOC innovators and creatives who have been doing this work for many years. Finally, I want all of this to result in putting money directly into the hands of BIPOC makers.
I hope that people who are interested ethical cycling products will grow their awareness and inquiry regarding the diversity of leadership at brands, be more mindful of making purchases that are investing in BIPOC communities, and will use their voices to speak up for accountability and representation when they find it is lacking.
My hope is that the work of Cyclista Zine can be a small offering toward the collective efforts of BIPOC to take up space to celebrate, heal, and transform. Ultimately, it was born out of love—love for honoring my ancestors, love for BIPOC communities, love for equity and the right to be whole people, wherever, and whomever we are.
So supporting BIPOC and women/trans/nonbinary-led brands on any day of the year is a fantastic way to financially support businesses and allow the companies to thrive, hire even more women, POCs, and queer folks, and create more role models that challenge the idea of who can be a "business leader."
How + where you spend your money is also a huge part of gender and racial justice. We should all do everything possible to allocate our dollars to support POC-owned business, particularly BIWOC run.
A Quick Brown Fox, Representation Matters swag, Podcast and more by Ayesha McGowan
Back in the Frame - book by Jools Walker
Bicycle/Race: Transportation, Culture, & Resistance book by Adonia Lugo
"Brown Bike Girl" bicycle advocacy consulting by Courtney Williams
Crust Bikes, bike shop Belmar, NJ
dziltaah adventures, Navajo BikePacking adventures, dziltaahadventures@gmail.com
Gladys Bikes, bike shop Portland, OR
Free Range Cycles, bike shop Seattle, WA
Hard Knox Bikes, bike shop Oakland, CA
London Bike Kitchen, bike shop London, UK
New Bo Bo Bicycle, bike shop, New York, NY
People For Mobility Justice org
Sun And Air, bike shop Brooklyn, NY
Rich City Rides, bike shop Richmond, CA
TreadBike Shop, bike shop New York, NY
Where There's A Will, book by Emily of Chappell
WTF Bikexplorers org by Molly Sugar
If it's books you are looking to buy or groups to support our website resources page has a list of our recommendations, find em here https://cyclistazine.com/rescources
If you know of any others please leave a comment below!