12 years of promoting cycling as a tool for recreation and activism in Atlanta’s Black
communities, Red, Bike, and Green - ATL triples down on their commitment to taking up more space.
ATLANTA - Next month, Red, Bike, and Green - Atlanta will celebrate 12
years of getting “Black folks on bikes” at Bikerversary 2024. The 3-day festival begins Friday,
May 10th at 6:00pm at Clutch Bicycle Shop Gordon White Park (1354 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30314) and concludes Sunday afternoon at Gordon White Park with a Red, Brunch and Green .
Guided by the principles outlined in their 3-point plan, Red, Bike, and Green-Atlanta (RBG-ATL) is using Bikerversary 2024 as an opportunity to create a safe and sustainable experience for people to have fun, learn about Atlanta’s Black cycling culture, and engage with local community and the environment.
Each day will focus on a particular theme and offer a variety of fun, multi-sensory experiences for guests to enjoy. “The planning for this celebration prioritizes Black folks feeling seen and welcome. Our signature RBG-ATL CommunityRide is still reserved for Black folks; however, all are welcome to participate in the other planned rides and activities. All programming centers our communities, our experiences and the variety of realities we live. The film series is about Black folks on bikes, the food highlights Black foodways, the panels come from the lens of Black folks, the marketplace is made up of local, Black, and eco friendly vendors, all rides and partnerships are led by Black folks. We have taken a “for-us-by-us” approach as we always do,” affirms zahra.
Since 2012, RBG-ATL has leveraged cycling as more than just a tool for recreation and
trendsetting. Movement building at the intersection of mobility justice, sustainability, and
cooperative economics, RBG-ATL uses bikes as their primary weapon of choice to access
physical, mental, economic and environmental wellness. “It’s bigger than bikes,” says zahra
alabanza, club co-founder and community organizer. “This is a tool that not only allows folks to be easier on the Earth, but also serves as a platform for advocating alternative ways of moving through time and space safely.”
Focused on organizing more opportunities to bring Black outdoor leadership together, she often challenges narratives that suggest Black people are not active outdoors, and asserts that visibility is just the tip of the iceberg. “I would like to shift the conversation to focus on how we’re outdoors,” says zahra. “Black folks have always been outside. Historically, it’s where we engage with our communities. We sit on our porches, walk our blocks, connect to our families, sit and fish for hours, put our hands in the soil and so forth. Recognition of our presence in the outdoors, and the offerings we’ve made to this space, is long overdue. We are custodians of the earth.”
Bikerversary 2024 takes place Friday May 10th-Sunday May 12th, 2024. Admission to most
events are free for everyone except Red, Brunch and Green: a Bike and Brunch Experience.
Having a bike is not required to enjoy the festivities. There is an eco-friendly marketplace
featuring local vendors, open greenspace, a kids’ corner hosted by the GoldenSEED Childcare Collective, plus plenty of nooks and crannies to experience. Tickets are available at www.redbikegreenatl.com
Follow the journey Red, Bike, and Green-Atlanta @redbikegreenatl
Donations can be made at https://cash.app/$redbikegreen
For press inquiries, contact zahra alabanza:
ABOUT Red, Bike and Green
Red, Bike and Green is a community-building collective of Black urban cyclists seeking to
enhance the physical and mental health, economy and local environment of Black folks and
their communities by creating a relevant and sustainable Black bike culture.
HISTORY
Founded in the fall of 2007 by Jenna Burton, Red, Bike and Green (RBG) started as a small
group of Black urban cyclists in Oakland, Ca. After notifying a few friends of her dream to create a Black cyclists group, Jenna Burton soon drafted the 3 Point Plan, giving this cycling group a deep social purpose. After several rides for over a year, Jenna and the group felt it was imperative to outreach and organize and make the prospects of RBG a reality. RBG officially launched in early 2010.
In 2011 an original Oakland RBG member relocated to Chicago, IL and launched the
RBG-Chicago chapter.
In 2012 two bike enthusiasts (zahra alabanza & Hamza Sani) in Atlanta proposed starting a
RBG-Atlanta. The time was right and RBG-Atlanta hosted its inaugural ride in April 2012.
RED, BIKE, AND GREEN 3-POINT PLAN
a. Health Black folks have the highest prevalence rates for many chronic diseases,
largely due to lack of healthy foods and exercise. Biking is an intergenerational form of
recreation where we can improve physical health as well as improve our mental and
communal health while enjoying the company of our people.
b. Economics: (1) As Black folks we experience many economic hardships. Riding
bicycles instead of driving cars saves us valuable money that we can use towards our
present realities and bright futures. (2) Red, Bike and Green promotes the patronage of
Black business. Advertising and partnering with Black businesses on our rides is our
strategy to support and praise the important services that sustain our community.
c. Environment: Black communities bear the brunt of too many environmental injustices
(e.g. asthma due to high prevalence of carcinogens). Biking provides us the power to
reduce the carcinogens we produce as we continue advocating against environmental
racism at institutional levels.
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