Motorcycle protest in support of BLM
Last weekend my friend Ash and I organized a peaceful protest for the motorcycle community of Los Angeles in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. We didn’t know what to expect, or how many people would even show up, but I made a flyer and we spread the word as much as we could.
I personally wanted to organize this protest because as a female motorcycle rider, I’ve never really felt like I fit into the motorcycle community. It’s a very homogenous community of older white males, and diversity is rarely celebrated. But I know there are a lot of riders who crave diversity and also feel like they don’t fit into the older model of motorcycle clubs (which tend to be very exclusive). Watching all the protests, and knowing that many people have just one version of what a biker can be (intimidating older white male), I wanted to show my support for Black Lives Matter, and I wanted to share it with other riders who also crave diversity in the community. I’d spoken to a few black riders who felt like they didn’t fit in either, and so I wanted to show that there are in fact many bikers who want everyone to feel included, who want systemic change, who want to end racism and police brutality against our black communities.
Plus, a large amount of bikes filling up the streets is usually a scary sight, and I wanted to use that power that we hold as bikers for good - to show that we support our black brothers and sisters and that we will fight with them until the violence stops.
Lo and behold, we had over 200 people show up (motorcyclists AND bicyclists!).
It’s clear that there is a shift happening in our culture, that people want diversity and equality and want to show up until we get it. People want to take action.
So with that, Ash, our friend Ikedi, and I decided to start a motorcycle club focused on inclusivity and activism. Because, truly, sadly, that is missing from our communities.
The club is called Riders of Reform. Follow us at instagram.com/ridersofreform for updates on upcoming rides, events, and how you can support BLM, diversity, and other important causes, and make change in our community and in yours. You can also sign up for our newsletter here.
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Here are some photos from our ride on Sunday, June 7, 2020. You can download the rest of the photos and the videos here. Feel free to share them!
** If you were at the protest or witnessed it, and have photos or videos, please email them to me at julia@juliaotest.com
