Ron Holden and Ride for Black Lives

We spoke with Ron Holden, co-founder of Ride for Black Lives on community, social justice and the future of biking as a whole.

SNS: How and when was Ride For Black Lives started and are you surprised by how fast it's grown?

Ron: This all started with a very brief conversation with a good friend of mine Geovanny Delgado (Co-founder of RideforBlackLives). I stopped into Burgers 99 to eat and visit with him. While I was there on June 4th we spoke about the climate of our society and doing something for the community. We had been looking to get some bike rides in together and thought we should make it an open invitation to our friends and for a good cause. That night I went home settled on the name and made a social flyer for our first ride on June 8th. We expected maybe 10-20 people to show up, but come Monday morning we had over 200 people attend the ride. We underestimated our community, the power in keeping this social injustice conversation going, and the eagerness of people to be out on their bikes.

How would you like to see the cycling community evolve in the coming years and what type of change needs to be made to ensure inclusion and acceptance throughout the sport?

I would love to see the cycling community evolve similar to how the world as a whole needs to evolve. Equality, access to information, and resources should be available to all, period. I hear it every single ride “I never felt comfortable or welcomed to join a group ride before this”. That statement shocks me every time I hear it, due to the mere fact that it comes from all different types of people. There is a social-economic wall within the cycling community that we need to tear down. For instance, when you walk into a cycling shop, salesmen preface the entry-level price of the bike without even an initial conversation about your wants and needs, seems like they are wanting to deter you before you even step foot in the store. Why is that your first sentence to a potential cyclist or to a person that might just want to learn about the sport? On top of that most of the cycling, stores are in affluent, white neighborhoods, so when you add the location of the shop, to prefacing the price before all else, that would make anyone new to the cycling world feel unwelcome or intimidated, making it a slippery downhill slope. Much like the world we live in, I feel the sport needs more compassion, love, and unity. That’s what our community rides are all about.

We're incredibly honored that SNS LA has acted as the "Hydration Station" for some of your past rides. How would you like to see companies support grassroots organizations like RFBL moving forward?

I had a talk with Strava last week and they asked me this same question. My answer is simple,

1. Show up; be there to connect with these organizations, experience the energy and the effort. That energy will then move you to act in the most organic way possible.

2. Utilize brand strength; access to help empower and supply these organizations with the necessary tools.

For instance, If I myself reach out to Gatorade or Clif for product to hydrate our riders or power some of our donation initiatives they might easily overlook my request, same as If I reached out to Specialized and Giant for bikes or components for our community or inclusion initiatives, again I am a singular person they’ve never met therefore very easy to overlook in an email or a call by me.

Now if you reach out the same way being a global brand you know they will at least hear out/ entertain these requests. Brands bring validation and power to these simple asks.

GLOBAL BRANDS NEED TO USE THEIR PLATFORM FOR GOOD, FOR CHANGE. The very simple concept of bigger brands using their platform to be the voice of the community, that is the goal.

It’s not enough to just take a photo for social media and go back to your regular scheduled program, to “show” that you are in support, we need actionable steps to progression.

Biking is a perfect way to social distance while actively protesting in the streets especially now that Los Angeles is experiencing an influx in Covid-19 cases. In what other ways do you see political and justice reform activism adapting to the current climate?

I mean the next obvious way is virtually, however, there is no energy that can take the place of being present in the flesh and I don’t feel like the things can be changed without activism on all levels. I tell this to our community often, the change will not happen overnight and we have to approach it multidimensionally. Protests, sit-ins, bike rides, policy reform, checks-and-balances within corporate companies, and within communities; in the street, in the office, in the schools, in the homes, on social media, both organic and paid, on the news; Our societal and government strategy was set up this way a long time ago and is embedded in the walls and the floors that line every city. It’s ingrained in us in a way that powers our cities, so although we are in a pandemic, that is not to be at the forefront dictating our next moves, we have been living in an equality/race pandemic for hundreds of years. These challenges combined will force us all to be innovative in the way we participate in our communities. To be multidimensional in your activism, all levels and angles are needed and appreciated.

Our platform is your platform. Do you have any final thoughts or words you’d like to share with our community?

We would just like to say thank you for your support and for you extending your platform to help keep the conversation going. Our mission is to create habitual community participation and growth. Building a community within the cycling world and using that as a vehicle to spread love peace and unity. We are here to provide a platform for conversation, necessary for changes needed within our society. Promoting a safe and healthy lifestyle while cultivating awareness, business, and support for BIPOC businesses and communities. We are here for all to feel included, welcomed, and supported; fostering the idea that you can make a difference for yourself and for others. We will be the energy that helps sparks an idea for change, innovation, and the evolution of our nation. We hope to see you out there.

To support RFBL, participate in a ride or get involved, please visit rideforblacklives.org and follow them on Instagram at @rideforblacklives”