Letter from the Saddle
Our cities are reawakening from the long winter of a global pandemic. As spring arrives in the East Bay, I’m looking ahead with hope and curiosity about what changes we will treasure and keep, and what challenges lay ahead.
In the past year, we’ve reimagined urban and suburban streets by creating people-friendly spaces with slow streets, outdoor dining, and emergency bikeways. Bike East Bay is now working with many cities to make these changes permanent, and in some cases, leveraging our advocacy to speed up bikeways that were planned years ago. The city of Emeryville has already made the Doyle Street emergency bikeway permanent (see page 6), and we look forward to many others on the way.
We’ve also had stark reminders that Black, Latinx, Asian, and people of color are not welcome and free in how we move in public space. Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, was shot and killed while jogging through a white neighborhood. Asian elders are being brutally attacked while walking and shopping in Bay Area Chinatowns, adding to increasing anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide. The race and class inequalities exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic are driving Bike East Bay to deepen our commitment to transportation justice work.
Bike East Bay’s top priority this spring is getting back to on-the-ground community organizing work. We learned early on that it was extremely challenging to do community outreach equitably during shelter in place. We miss talking to neighbors, business owners, parents, and elders face-to-face. We miss the crucial knowledge and experience our communities bring.
To prepare for reopening, we are now hiring four staff positions through spring and summer. This includes new staff who will lead community organizing efforts in Black and Brown communities. Keep an eye on our email newsletters and BikeEastBay.org/Jobs for postings!
I am incredibly excited that we’re able to add capacity to take on even more transportation justice work. All this is made possible by your support as members and donors, and partners including the Hellman Foundation, during a financially (and emotionally) challenging year. This next phase will be one of enormous growth, learning, and optimism. I can’t wait to share the ride ahead with you.
