For the first time in May, 2011, I was able to combine my passions for biking, the open road, and politics. The desert landscape was as motivating aesthetically as it was a reminder of what we were up against. Each pedal made me recommit to what I believe in. The harshness of the cacti and the coarseness of the mountains were sharp and biking by prickly pears from Flagstaff to Tucson solidified my passion for pulling together the Biking Beyond Bigotry tour.
The goal of the trip was to bring environmentalists together from across the nation to pedal over 350 miles while speaking out against the greening of hate. What transpired went beyond biking and beyond what I imagined our speaking events could bring. The trip was supposed to provide a positive way to take a stand, for us to make our voices heard and for environmentalists to denounce the anti-immigrant movement.
What I thought might be a straightforward trip quickly transformed into something much more dynamic.
People began questioning everything on this journey. Everything from environmental degradation to understanding Native struggles over land in Arizona. We took on myths and facts around population stabilization and the anti-immigrant movement’s attempts to green bigotry, but we also came away with a deeper understanding and set of questions then even I would have imagined.
Food access and water scarcity permeated each discussion. From desert beauty to the shock of entering Phoenix and seeing just how many golf courses there were. We wanted to talk to others about how to take a stand and were met with both success and another open road of work to do. This trip showed us what we were capable of physically. Raising awareness, through education, allowed us to create new alliances to defeat racism.
Biking Beyond Bigotry will continue to inspire environmentalists from all walks to participate and be challenged on our core beliefs. I wouldn’t miss the next one for the world.