Hey Y'all,
As you may be aware, one of the
overriding characteristics of Plan B, The New Orleans Community
Bike
Project is our belief and constant practice of “practical
radicalism”. We believe that one of the most efficient and
practicable ways to espouse culture shift is by performing
outreach
and enacting mutual social aid. We've learned this in a concise
manner during our history.
We made the original call for
Bike!Bike! in 2004, a tradition that has progressed into an
enormous
gathering that crosses borders and causes global impact. We're
proud
to host Bike!Bike! X, the tenth gathering and conference and hope
to
introduce new traditions by expanding programming and offering
more
than ever before.
The Chainbreaker book, written by
Shelley Jackson and Ethan Clark is another one of Plan B's babies
and
it's publishing was a definite push for DIY culture.
Due to the generosity of Working
Bikes
in Chicago, we have a regular supply of raw materials and used
bikes
that we use to teach classes and further our outreach. We have
shared
the bikes with new community bike projects in Mississippi and
Alabama
and are eager to distribute more regionally. We also use the sale
of
bikes to fund the space and special projects like our recent trip
to
present at 5th Annual National Urban Cycling Congress
in
Oaxaca, Mexico. We co-presented with representatives from several
other community bike initiatives from across the US in an attempt
to
espouse more like-minded initiatives as a force of economic and
social justice throughout all of the Americas. Our presentation
garnered a lot of interest and we are working with several new
initiatives throughout Mexico in a support and advisory role. We
know
that outreach is working and we expect a strong presence of
Mexican
allies at Bike!Bike! X.
One of the more exciting things that
happened at Bike!Bike! 2012 was that race was
finally
a real topic. Contributing factors were a combination of
workshops
and the presence of more people of color at Bike!Bike! than ever
before. The Ovarian Psychos ( http://ovarianpsycos.com/about/
) were an impressive presence at the gathering and for the first
time
ever, an organized group by and for women with a strong base of
people of color unified many within our group. These sisters
don't
mess around and they are now committed to launching their own
community bike space. Plan B Ladies, Trans and Sissies night (
http://bikeproject.org/programs/ladies-trans-queer
) has committed to help them accomplish this[ and ]that's why
we're
asking for your support. Our latest initiative is a little
different and for the first time ever, we're crowd-sourcing the
funding. Our Ladies, Trans, and Sissies night coordinators, Tracey
and Alisha, are going from LA to L.A. to support the OP's and
bring
them resources and materials. The reason I'm sending this out to
the
ThinkTank and distributing this appeal far and wide (and hoping
you
all do the same) is that I think for many of us this is an
excellent
opportunity to contribute to a cause that is greater than any of
us
and something that's always been prevalent in our discussions of
social equity within our milieu. Specifically, the topic is gender
and gender oppression, and no matter how much we discuss it at a
conference or try to resolve it, the bluntest truth is that the
core
of the hard work in achieving gender equity is done by women, for
women and while males can certainly be allies and supporters, the
best situation is to allow women to be self-determined and invest
in
their own communities devoid of patriarchy and male voices.
Won't you join us in supporting
gender
equity and social justice within the realm of community bike
projects? Even if it's $5, anything helps for this important work
to
be done. The goal of $1000 is on the low side. We'd love to be
able
to support them fiscally and provide several tools and plant the
seeds for this very important space to flourish and cause real
change.
Here's the link to the indiegogo page
where you can read more about it.
I'll be happy to answer any questions
in this thread. Please support if you can and help spread the
word.
Can't wait to see you all in October,
2013!
All the best,
--
Victor Pizarro
Project Organizer
Plan B, The New Orleans Community Bike Project