By Daniel Kim
There is something very unique about riding a loaded touring bike that appeals to people from so many different walks of life.
Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the machine that piques an onlooker’s interest, the nostalgia of their own childhood bicycle adventures, or the sheer immensity of the gear that can be strapped, lashed, clipped, and rigged on a bike and ridden over mountains. Whatever it is, there is no denying that a stranger’s curiosity can open a door, by-pass someone’s preconceptions, and grant you a chance to really reach them with your words.
Bicycling for social change is nothing new, as biking has become much more than just a mode of transportation. Biking has become a medium, a new context within which to share ideas. And, that change of context, within which people communicate, brings with it, in my experience, a friendly approachability.
Being on a bike tour makes it easier to talk to strangers. And, in turn, strangers come up to me all the time and ask, “Your riding up that mountain? With all that stuff? Why? Are you crazy?!” to which I reply, “Yes. And, no i’m not crazy. I’m riding because I want to talk to people like you about the greening of bigotry and how to stop it.”
On perhaps the most difficult day of riding during the Biking Beyond Bigotry tour, we had to climb a seven thousand foot mountain pass. We began in the low cacti-covered desert just south of Sedona, AZ; red rock country. But, as we climbed up and up, we entered a drastically different ecosystem. Ponderosa pines crowded the hillsides and the cacti made way for lush, deep green shrubbery.
At a particularly beautiful overlook near Jerome, AZ, a member of our group stopped to take in the world below. The winding mountain road was busy with tourists and travelers also here to take in the desert’s natural beauty. And, at the overlook, there were many people gathered. Two nearby sightseers commented on the view and also inquired about the bike tour. Shortly there after, what began as an “innocent” conversation, became a heated debate about immigration policy in regards to both the U.S. and Arizona, labor disparity (especially as it relates to communities of color), and the prison industrial complex.
Clearly, the two travelers didn’t expect to engage in a debate that day, on the side of a mountain highway at least. And, though heated, the encounter was a great chance to dialogue with people that come from a very different politic, life experience, and culture.
The exchange also underscored for me an obstacle towards which I’ve put much thought. What do we do to reach people as organizers, who do we want to reach, and how do we reach those who wouldn’t respond to a solicited discussion? How do we keep from just “preaching to the choir?” And, how do we bring someone into a debate without starting it ourselves? I have found that it helps to find a commonality. Something to draw upon one’s curiosity, something to break the ice.
For me, it’s my bicycle.
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Daniel is a gardener and teaches bicycle mechanics to local youth and works with the homeless community of downtown San Francisco. He works to empower people by helping them freely or cheaply take control of their transportation needs.
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This is the second blog post in an ongoing series written by riders who participated in the recent Biking Beyond Bigotry bicycling tour. From April 28th to May 5th, ten individuals from across the nation pedaled over 350 miles to speak out against the greening of hate. Along their route from Flagstaff to Tucson, Arizona, the riders spoke with members of local communities across their route. Their messages included immigration myths and facts around population stabilization, the anti-immigrant movement’s attempts to “green” bigotry, and steps that environmentalists can take to counter such attacks. The initiative of this speaking tour was to directly counter the greening of hate through awareness, education, and the formation of alliances to defeat racism disguised as environmentalism.