I was doing research recently listening to the slave narratives, and I stumbled upon this ABC News story from 1999 about a series of interviews done with living formerly enslaved people in the 1940s. It is fascinating that this is recent memory.
Listen to the Slave Narratives Collection on the Library of Congress website.
I am continuing to find more resources to educate myself on the Asian-American experience. I found this video on YouTube, which was very educational.
Who would have thought the 2020 Census would have been both a joy and a sh*tstorm?
When I signed up to be a census enumerator around this time last year, I thought I was just making a difference in my community while making a little extra cash. But after doing it, I came away from it with a lot more.
Because of the pandemic, everything about the census was done online. I had to go through an eight-hour online training session. I never met my manager, supervisor, or most of the other enumerators during my time with the census. All of my interactions were done using a government-issued phone with them and any information I received from residents was inputted there. I met great people from all walks of life. I also lost a lot of weight walking between five to nine miles a day, as I don’t have a car!
The census is the largest peacetime project the federal government undertakes. Every ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts everyone in the country. The results are used to determine funding for resources in your community and congressional representation. About half of census-guided funding goes towards Medicare!
Unfortunately, because the census ended early on October 15, a lot of people may have not been counted. Let’s hope the Biden administration will consider finishing the count in the new year. The 2020 Census cost $15 billion to undertake, which many elected officials think is already too expensive, so I don’t see a full-scale recount, but something should be done to complete it.
As I mentioned last week, I have been a cyclist all of my life and enjoyed every minute of it. However, being a black female cyclist does come with its troubles sometimes. Sometimes I get stares on the street from people who probably aren’t using to seeing someone who looks like me on a bike. Recently, I had a white guy ask me where I got my fancy, expensive-looking bike. I told him I bought it at a bike shop. But then he continued to ask where I really got the bike, implying that I may have either stolen the bike or someone gave it to me. Apparently, according to this guy, there is no way I could have bought this bike by myself!
And there have been many other microaggressions like this in my life. But cycling while Black can also have more serious consequences. According to Bicycling Magazine, Black cyclists are disproportionately pulled over by the police for suspicion or probable cause more often than their white counterparts. Some Black cyclists get arrested for minor traffic violations. In June a Black man died in custody after being arrested for cycling without a light!
Cycling has always been seen as a sport for white, privileged men. Over a hundred years ago, most cycling clubs explicitly banned people of color, women, immigrants, and the poor from joining. Also, these clubs mainly focused on those who rode bikes by choice, which were usually privileged white dudes. People of color, immigrants, and women generally had different reasons for cycling, such as for economic and social reasons. Because of this, cyclists by choice have more power and say over bike policy and infrastructure.
These inequalities can still be seen today. There are a lot of barriers to getting more people of color on bikes. One of them is simple; if you don’t see anyone who looks like you on a bike, you don’t think it is something you can do. Of course, there are other issues, like not living near bike-friendly roads, paths, or green spaces, in addition to the fear of police brutality while riding. For Black women specifically, the “whole hair issue” can be a deterrent from not wanting to ride a bike.
There have been many Black Lives Matter cycling rides in the last couple of months, and I participated in one last month. Unfortunately, there also have been police officers using their bikes against protesters. I only hope this racial reckoning the country is going through now will put more spotlight on how to make cycling more equitable for everyone.
Let’s remember there have always been Black cyclists, including Major Taylor, the first African-American sportsperson to win a World Championship. And, yes, he was a cyclist a hundred years ago!