An excerpt from the Debunking White post:

On the issue of Critical Mass, PoC are more often targeted by police for participating in critical mass, as they are in all other areas of life. I do think the goal of Critical Mass, to make bikes more visible and to encourage people to get rid of their cars, does have a positive effect on communities of color, because of the necessity of bicycles for members of those communities, but also because of issues of environmental justice. This does not negate the fact that it is White Privilege that allows white people to take part in critical mass and break traffic laws en masse without significant repercussions.

Another example of white privilege in the cycling community is the response to the scraper bike video. It was pretty much viewed as a novelty or joke by the (majority white) cycling community, despite the fact that the group is heavily involved in the local community, advocating for green jobs and working against violence, and has taken part in Oakland critical mass. Despite that it was seen as a sort of internet one hit wonder. It certainly isn’t, it’s a deep community based movement that is local culture and a part of the cycling community.

Another major aspect of white privilege in bike culture is the majority white employment in bicycle industry jobs. I work in the warehouse at a fairly big bicycle and parts distribution company. The vast majority of the warehouse workers are not white, given the standards of the rest of the country where most of the white employees are from, whereas most of the non-warehouse employees are white. In my experience with bike shops there is a similar dynamic, the majority of employees are white. Most of the white people who work there are involved in the cycling community in one way or another, most of the PoC are not, even those who express interest. But, worse still is the fact that the white people who work in the warehouse, myself included, are seen as on a track to start working in the office area. I’ll admit that I would like to work in the office, I started working there with the hope that I’d move out of the warehouse. I’m not sure how to address the issues here, but I’m planning on bringing them up with one of the owners who I’m on good terms with.

Overall I think that the (white) cycling community is generally progressive and I hope they will be open to including more PoC, on their(PoC) own terms if approached in the right way.

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