Yellow Bike values and is committed to creating safe, inclusive, and diverse spaces. We fully support Ride Bikes Austin (RBA) in their call, denouncing threats to public safety, all forms of harassment, and oppressive attempts to force the vastly different cultural norms of one group on another regardless of mode of transportation or group affiliation.
We are grateful to have collaborated with RBA over the last couple of years. RBA generously supported Yellow Bike on many occasions, for example through organizing our 25th anniversary bike ride; bringing cycling community together for a photoshoot for our new website; organizing a bike ride for the Zilker Brewing fundraising event benefiting Yellow Bike; organizing ride support and logistics and promotions for other rides and community partners, such us Latino Heritage Bike Ride; organizing several fundraising initiatives for Yellow Bike; plus providing countless tabling opportunities during their community events (during both Ride Bikes Austin & Critical Mass Austin). RBA has been an important avenue for Yellow Bike with its goal to build a more diverse and inclusive culture.
Social rides in all their variety have done a great deal to promote the shift from Austin’s past car culture to one that knows the joy, power and liberation that comes from riding bikes (especially with others). To build the broadest and most inclusive movement, it is particularly valuable to have social cycling organizations that focus on serving diverse populations, giving support and breaking down barriers, so they can access all the life changing benefits of riding bicycles.
Yellow Bike feels that there is ample space in Austin for a wide variety of social cycling organizations and rides (even critical mass rides – some cities even have Kidical Mass rides) and we hope that all can give space and respect to the intentions and values set out by each ride organizer. To this end we support RBA’s Critical Mass Call-to-Action Ride on May 26th.