“Biking is a political issue. It’s a just issue”––Yolanda Davis-Overstreet

On Thursday May 2, 2024, we screened the film Biking While Black at the Guild Theater in Oak Park, Sacramento. Through storytelling, the film shows the dangers of biking, especially for Black folks, given the historical anti-black racism, the over policing and disproportionate incarceration of black and brown bodies, along with the lack of cycling infrastructure that centers around cars. But also, taking place in Los Angeles, the film shows how ‘biking while black’ has been a way to empower communities to travel to more liberating places.

After the screening, there was a panel discussion with the film Director Yolanda Davis-Overstreet and two other local community members and was facilitated by Civic Thread Executive Director Kiara Reed. The discussion highlighted the intersectionality of our experiences and how they are shaped ‘by design’. And yet, it’s possible to think differently, as Davis-Overstreet reminded us, “When you think of restorative, regenerative solutions, new ways of thinking present themselves”. 

We thank all other sponsors: Civic Thread; Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates; UC Davis Women’s Resources and Research Center, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Institute of Transportation Studies, the Office of Public Scholarship, and the Office for Health, Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity; Sacramento City Councilmembers Katie Valenzuela and Caity Maple; and R.E.I.

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