It was the fall of my seventh-grade year. I was 12 years old, and my parents kept telling me about how my brother biked from North Carolina to Florida. As soon as they took me to an interest meeting, I was hooked, too.
That summer I biked from Selma, Alabama back to North Carolina. Triangle Bike Works, a mountain and road biking organization that aims to bring more diversity into the cycling community and sport, organizes the two-week trip every summer. We slept at campsites and stopped. at historical monuments, museums and buildings, learning about Black history as we rode 60-100 miles a day.
As I toured the museums I was surprised to see how much Black history I hadn’t learned yet.
For example, I knew of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but didn’t realize it lasted 381 days and ended with the Supreme Court ruling that bus segregation was unconstitutional.
And I had never heard of Bloody Tuesday, a violent attack on peaceful protesters speaking out against segregated bathrooms and water fountains. They were assaulted by police and white mobs, beaten with night sticks and hit with tear gas. Police officers also used water hoses and cattle prongs. As a result, 30 were hospitalized, 90 were arrested and dozens more were injured.
I saw articles, timelines and photos. It was crazy, but also inspiring to see what people who looked like me have achieved, and sacrificed so I can live the way I do now.
When I was in the program there were about 20 kids of color, ranging in age from 12 to 18 and mostly from the Triangle area. I made so many memories and remain friends with many of them today.
Throughout the 3 years I spent at Triangle Bike Works, I can count on one hand the people of color at our mountain bike races.
I can’t help but draw comparisons to famous black athletes who helped integrate different sports. Black history is ingrained within sports, and athletes were major contributors to the civil rights movement.
We all know about Jackie Robinson, the first-ever African-American to play Major League Baseball, but not a lot of people talk about what he did outside of the game.
Robinson was a prominent member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization.
He also co-founded the Freedom National Bank of Harlem, which provides financial assistance and aid to Black communities.
A lot of people don’t hold NBA legend Bill Russell in the same regard as Robinson, but he was just as impactful.
Russell was the first ever African-American to be a head coach for a major professional sports team in America. In addition to leading the Boston Celtics, Seattle Supersonics and Sacramento Kings, he participated in marches and boycotts.
Russell was part of the 1963 march on Washington and was there for Martin Luther’s “I have a dream” speech. He also helped Charles Evers found the first ever integrated basketball camp in US history.
Even though I was only in Triangle Bike works for three years, my experiences really helped me appreciate what athletes like Robison did.
Throughout all sports, from basketball to cross country black history – my history – is there.
And this little biking program my parents told me about really helped me embrace and discover what athletes truly accomplished outside of their respective sports.
