Black Girls Do Bike and Little Bellas join forces to increase opportunities to get more girls and women on bikes
JERICHO, Vt. — Since Day 1, both Black Girls Do Bike and Little Bellas have walked the talk to usher new riders past barriers to entry into cycling and welcome them into the greater community of female cyclists. Now they will be doing that together by supporting each other's objectives. BGDB champions efforts to introduce the joy of cycling to all women, especially women and girls of color, and counts more than 100 chapters worldwide. Little Bellas's goal is to help young women realize their potential through cycling, which happens at its mountain bike camps for girls that take place across the U.S.
"Camaraderie is the most powerful thing we have," said Monica Garrison, founder of Black Girls Do Bike. "If you are motivated by accountability, or fellowship, friendship, or networking — there's a real cultural aspect to Black Girls Do Bike. We keep it friendly for beginner rides; we meet you where you are."
Little Bellas is centered around creating camaraderie for girls on bikes in a constructive environment, but once a camp is over or girls age out of the program, then what? Knowing and understanding that barriers to cycling exist can inhibit further engagement in the sport. This new partnership will provide a place for Black, Indigenous, Girls of Color to start riding and belong to a community of girls their age with Little Bellas, and then to continue riding with the BGDB community once camp is over or they grow out of Little Bellas.
"I'd like our girls and mentors of color to be able to join their community," said Sabra Davison, executive director of Little Bellas. "By creating a partnership where we can tell our constituents that the other exists is a great way to ensure that we are supporting each other's space and opening up opportunities to all."
The goals of the new partnership were established to support and strengthen each other's initiatives in the areas of:
Cultivating a relationship between the organizations
Participation in each organization's offerings at a local level
Targeting areas of development and desired outcomes
Strengthening collaborative efforts through periodic review
Strength in numbers isn't anything new but when new cyclists add up to equal a welcoming, vibrant, and strong community, you also get acceptance that spans a vast range of skills, experiences, backgrounds, and identities. And it all starts with the bike.
"We want to have a solid network so that people don't have an excuse not to ride," Garrison said.
About Black Girls Do Bike
BlackGirlsDoBike.Com's interest is in growing and supporting a community of women of color who share a passion for cycling. We champion efforts to introduce the joy of cycling to all women, but especially, women and girls of color.
blackgirlsdobike.com
About Little Bellas
The Little Bellas is a mountain bike organization, whose goal is to help young women reach their fullest potential. We aim to create a community to empower women through cycling, accent the importance of goals and a healthy lifestyle, and emphasize a positive female bond. While this program is centered around creating a female camaraderie on bikes, it is most importantly about having fun in a constructive environment.
littlebellas.com
