The BIKING WHILE BLACK: HOW SAFE ARE BLACK LIVES BICYCLING?” Short Documentary Project has been an impactful and insightful process of gathering the narratives of community constituents, grassroots advocates, CBOs, and city agencies around the topic of Black Lives bicycling in Los Angeles! Our approach over the past three months was one of observing, discussing, and presenting the data along with having those sensitive and tough conversations. The interviewees were asked questions on the topics of traffic violence, police enforcement, infrastructure disenfranchisement, and racial profiling that has led to even death in some cases.
We are very interested in building upon this short documentary effort to create a longer version of this narrative so that we can include all the interviewees (who are not included in this short). Each one of them offered extensive and valuable insight and calls to action that can play a vital role in leading us into co-creating safer and more justice-based streets to #BikingWhileBlack!
A key reference resource that was utilized as a road map in clarifying the traffic and racial safety problems on a policy level and the discussions thereof is the policy brief that was co-authored by Madeline Brozen and Annaleigh Ekman - The Need to Prioritize Black Lives in LA's Traffic Safety Efforts. This briefing has played a key role in helping Yolanda Davis-Overstreet better structure the interview questions that were asked to both the Black Life bicyclists as well as the participating policy, transportation, and civil rights leaders.
The population this project and documentary aims to speak to is anyone who believes BLACK LIVES MATTER whether they be bicycling, walking, using public transit, driving, and or moving around in public spaces exercising our human rights.
Go Human Mini-Grant Awardee:
Yolanda Davis-Overstreet Consulting / RIDE IN LIVING COLOR
BIKING WHILE BLACK: HOW SAFE ARE BLACK LIVES BICYCLING?
Credits:
Director and Co-Producer - Yolanda Davis-Overstreet, M.A.
Co-Producer, Cinematographer, and Editor– Harly Crandall
Support Team:
Emmanuel "Manny" Salgado
Mikaela Randolph
Niah Overstreet
Follow us on IG @bikingwhileblackfilm
Project Area:
Los Angeles
This project was made possible by funding through the Community Streets Mini-Grants Program, part of SCAG’s regional active transportation safety and encouragement campaign, Go Human.