May 2026 BWB Field Report: Bike Month Edition
It’s Bike Month and we’re excited to celebrate! What we’re especially excited about is the work being done by organizations to uplift BIPOC voices in biking and to center equity and mobility justice in the biking space.
Historically, and if we’re being honest, a lot of the time today, bike advocacy has largely been led by White, male voices. While it’s still the case that the majority of biking advocacy groups are White-led, there is a lot of work being done within organizations to center equity and to work with people and organizations like Biking While Black and our executive director, Yolanda Davis-Overstreet. We have some incredible partners and allies who are doing this work and continuing to find ways to better center voices of color, especially in such a racially and culturally diverse city such as Los Angeles.
As for Biking While Black events for Bike Month, we have some fun things in the works. Stay tuned on our social media for some last-minute pop-up event announcements!
In this report:
Yolanda’s Notes from the Field – reflections on her new bike and being a Black woman in this phase of life.
BWB in Action
Bike Month Mobility Justice Toolkit
Bike Month Events & Activities from BWB Partners
There is something rare happening in my life right now…
and I don’t take it lightly.
As a Black woman in this phase of my life, I feel myself shifting yet again—
not in small ways, but in deep, intentional, sacred ways.
Every step I take feels guided.
Every space I enter feels earned.
Every opportunity feels like something my ancestors cleared the path for.
And I’m paying attention.
Because this… this is not just movement.
This is transformation.
Recently, I made a decision that might seem simple on the surface—
I purchased an electric Brompton folding bicycle -G Line.
But for me, this is so much more than a bike!
Five years ago, I didn’t even know what a Brompton was.
My world of cycling—spanning decades—was rooted in road bikes, dirt bikes, BMX…
spaces where I learned, moved, and built identity.
Brompton was not part of that story.
But as I’ve deepened into mobility justice, advocacy, and reimagining how we move through our cities…
new doors have opened. New knowledge has come forward.
New relationships—with space, with movement, with possibility.
And now, here I am.
Owning something I once didn’t even know existed.
Investing in something intentionally crafted, designed with care, built differently.
Not mass-produced.
Not ordinary.
Not disconnected from purpose.
And what moves me the most is not just that I could purchase it…
but that I understand what it represents.
Because this bike is not just for me.
This bike carries story.
It carries access.
It carries questions about who gets to move freely, and how.
It carries a responsibility.
So as I ride… as I learn… as I continue evolving—
this electric Brompton folding bicycle will be part of the storytelling.
Not just reflecting my journey…
but opening doors for others to see what’s possible.
This is what intentional living looks like for me right now.
Sacred. Aware. Expanding.
And I know… there is more to come!
About Brompton and Why I Bought One
My decision to purchase an electric Brompton folding bicycle was rooted in my belief in the company’s core values. I was drawn to the company because of its strong focus on accessibility, urban mobility needs, and environmental sustainability. As I get older, my body works differently and I needed a bike that allowed me to move my body without as much hassle. It has already brought me so much joy.
While Brompton is a significant investment and may not be financially accessible for everyone, it’s a starting point to make biking more accessible to folks in our community. Brompton does offer payment plans, though, making it much more accessible for folks who can’t pay the full cost all at once. It makes me wonder: how do we take this model of sustainability and high quality into accessibility?
One thing I do know is that we have great local resources that do make biking accessible to people at a much lower price point, specifically Metro Bike Share. Bike Share is a great, accessible alternative for those looking to experience the benefits of urban cycling. Bonus is they offer access to electric bikes in their fleet. And, for bike month they’re putting on special promos!
So whatever your wheels look like, make sure to get out and ride to experience the justice and joy that I do while riding my Brompton.
April 4: Metro Spring Fest!
What an incredible day from 11AM–3PM connecting with community, families, youth, and elders right in the heart of it all. Our table was alive—from spinning the Wheel of Fortune to answering mobility justice questions, to real conversations about the proposed La Brea Ave Bus Priority Lane Project with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This plan is meant to make it easier to get around LA.
Bus service is the backbone of public transit, which is why the NextGen Bus Plan reimagined the bus system to focus on providing fast, frequent, reliable, and accessible service. Bus priority lanes are key to successfully implementing this plan. These lanes would improve bus speeds by as much as 15% or more, increasing service frequency and reliability, as well as enhancing mobility by moving more people without adding more infrastructure.
We heard directly from residents, teens, and families—gathering input, ideas, and even new sign-ups from folks who want to stay connected and shape what’s next. That’s what this work is about—real voices, real streets, real impact.
Huge love to the team who showed up with heart and intention: Metro consulting team (Arellano Associates – Vanessa & Adam) and the Biking While Black crew and volunteers (Ann Kaneko, Damon Turner, and Nile Overstreet). And all of YOU who came through! This was a powerful example of how we activate mobility justice in community—creative, interactive, and rooted in connection.
April 10: Sierra Club Trail Blazers Ball
Yolanda had the honor of being invited by Meghan Sahli-Wells, a National Board Member of the Sierra Club, to attend the Sierra Club Trailblazer’s Ball held at the Skirball Cultural Center in West Los Angeles. The experience was a powerful recognition of the community and individuals doing the important and often difficult work to protect our planet. The Sierra Club continues to play a critical role in advancing environmental justice while also reckoning with the racist viewpoints of its founder, John Muir. The event created a space for intentional learning, meaningful connection, joy, and collective activism.
To close out the month, Yolanda invited her son to join her for a Saturday evening Sierra Session in West Los Angeles at the landmark The Village Studios. The evening featured powerful performances by artists including Irene Diaz, Riding Appalachia, Lyla June, Aja Monet, Frédéric Yonnet, and Hurray for the Riff Raff, along with brief spotlights on the Sierra Club’s work. The gathering uplifted the sacredness of our planet and served as a call to action for each of us to play a more intentional role in caring for her.
Yolanda is also looking forward to reconnecting with key individuals she met, deepening relationships, and learning more about the impactful environmental and community-based work taking place across Los Angeles.
April 23: Book Talk with Candacy Taylor about her book Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America at Mark Taper Auditorium
(Co-presented with KJazz 88.1 as part of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles Centennial celebration)
Thoughts from Yolanda who got to attend this event: “I sat in a room filled with history, truth, and a kind of remembering that feels deeper than memory.. A quote of Taylor’s specifically stands out: ‘Keep up the fight for justice and know your power.’ This made me think that the simple act of moving from point A to point B—something so basic, so human—has never been simple for Black people in this country. We’re still doing so much to carve out spaces for us in public and to find mobility justice.”
Take Action During Bike Month
For Bike Month 2026, centering equity in Los Angeles means moving beyond just “getting people on bikes” and focusing on the systemic barriers that keep specific communities from riding safely.
In LA, transit equity often centers on the “First Mile/Last Mile” problem—ensuring that lower-income residents and essential workers can safely bridge the gap between transit hubs and their homes.
Here are some ways you can be a part of equitable solutions in biking.
Protect Safe Access to Legal E-Bikes
E-bikes are one of the more accessible ways for residents to get around their cities. However, the state legislature is trying to align e-bikes with e-motos which could have a big impact on everyday legislation. We align with CalBike by advocating to oppose AB 1557 and AB 1942.
Here’s what CalBike says about it: “Instead of drawing a clear line between legal e-bikes and illegal e-motos, AB 1557 and AB 1942 would burden the bikes people actually rely on for everyday transportation. This is the wrong approach, and we need your help to stop it. Tell your legislators: protect safe access to legal e-bikes. Oppose AB 1557 and AB 1942.”
From our perspective, aligning e-bikes with e-motos is a mobility justice issue because deeper regulations also means the risk of more interaction with enforcement. As we know, for Black and Brown people, any interaction with the police comes with potential harm and violence because of racial profiling. Not unlike the pretextual stops (mentioned earlier), this is just another way to police Black bodies.
Contact your legislators here!
Support Bike Repair and Education Programs
Access to a working bike is the most literal barrier to entry. Equity-focused advocacy means ensuring everyone has a reliable set of wheels. You can support Walk ‘n Rollers which offers bike repair events, Walk and Roll to school days, bike skills workshops and more! You can donate bikes to them as well! Walk n’ Rollers refurbishes bikes specifically for children and adults who lack the resources to buy their own.
There is a particular need for programming such as this in communities of color, so if your community would like to offer the programming that Walk ‘n Rollers offers, reach out to them to collaborate.
Advocate for Infrastructure in Underserved Areas
Historically, bike lanes in LA have been concentrated in wealthier, more commercialized neighborhoods. But it’s not just building bike lanes, it’s also ensuring that streets are safe in general in communities of color which are historically overlooked during street modernization and infrastructure projects. An important way to advocate is to get involved in the community engagement process.
LADOT has enhanced their community engagement efforts that also includes hyperlocal data gathering. You can connect with BikeLA about specific advocacy needs through bike rack requests, bike maintenance requests, blocked lane procedures and more.
And of course download our Biking While Black REIMAGINE Guide: A Roadmap to Justice and Joy and watch our 9 minute documentary Biking While Black on YouTube. These resources provide guidance on how to view and advocate for mobility justice in your community. Additionally, if you would like to dig deeper and want to host a screening and discussion of our 29 minute film, submit a request here.
Donate to Biking While Black
As always, the work that we do everyday is dedicated to advancing mobility justice in Los Angeles and beyond. Your donation will help us expand programming, advocate for equitable transportation and bike accessibility, and center Black and Brown voices in our community.
Contact us at bikingwhileblack@gmail.com to learn how to donate
Note: Most of this information is taken directly from the websites about the programs. Biking While Black does not have detailed information beyond what you can find on the websites. If you have questions about any of these events, activities, or programs, please contact the program contacts directly.
“Stop the Stops” Rally and Celebration
📅 May 6, 2026
⏰ City Council Meeting: 10:00am; Rally: 12:00pm
📍Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.
our years after the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) enacted a policy purportedly aiming to end racial bias in traffic stops, new PUSH LA research shows not only that the bias continues, but that the department wastes more than $77 million of its budget on ineffective pretextual traffic stops.
Seven years after PUSH LA first advocated to end these stops, and multiple reports detailing the damage to the community and the ineffectiveness of the practice, the Los Angeles City Council is set to vote on whether to ban pretextual stops at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in city hall council chambers, 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.
They are still looking for community members who have experienced racial profiling in pretextual stops to testify or submit public comment which you can do here. If you are interested, you can complete this form here. Otherwise, they would love to fill the seats with supporters at the 10:00am hearing and then gather outside LA City Hall for a rally at 12:00pm.
More details about Pre-Textual Stops here
Bike Month with Metro Bikeshare
📅 Throughout May
📍Throughout the Metro Bikeshare System across LA County
From special promos to fun rides and awesome giveaways, there’s a lot rolling your way this Bike Month! All across Los Angeles County, we’re celebrating the joy, freedom, and sustainability of biking. Metro Bike Share is proud to help pedal LA toward a greener future. However you roll, join us in making this month a celebration of two wheels and good vibes.
Promos include: 30-Day pass for $1, 365-day pass for 50% off, Free 30-minute ride on “Bike Anywhere Day” on May 15th!
Events include:
Sun, May 4: Westwood to Waves Community Ride
Sat, May 10: Strong Tides, Stronger Community (ride from Mar Vista to the Venice Canals)
Sat, May 17: Community Ride: Go & Grow urban gardening celebration
Listen Anytime: “Nobody Drives in LA” Podcast discussion on Changing Lanes documentary
When a beloved teacher is tragically killed in a hit-and-run crash in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a grassroots movement emerges to transform a notoriously dangerous four-lane boulevard into a safer, two-lane street with protected bike lanes. While many applaud the proposed road diet, it also sparks a backlash — led in part by a powerful local business owner. As government support begins to waver, neighbors unite to challenge entrenched interests and fight for a safer Greenpoint.
The film, “Changing Lanes” situates this local struggle within broader historical, environmental, political, and social contexts through interviews with politicians, activists, urban planners, entrepreneurs, and cultural icons including David Byrne and Janette Sadik-Khan. Changing Lanes makes a compelling call to action for democracy at street level.
Last month, director Ben Wolf discussed the documentary on the “Nobody Drives in LA” podcast.