Community Mobility Rituals: A Vehicle for Neighborhood Transformation
Dear Equiticity Partners:
With this fundraising appeal blogpost, I am asking you to donate to Equiticity's end of year fundraising campaign, explore Equiticity's next chapter through the lens of our Community Mobility Rituals (CMRs), and acknowledge our many 2024 CMR partners.
Equiticity is now inside of our end-of-year fundraising campaign, with a year-end fundraising goal of $75,000. As Equiticity's work continues to grow both in Chicago and around the US, the need for increased general operating support has become more urgent. Areas of our work in need of general operating support include our functional areas of accounting, Human Resources, and operations. Community Mobility Rituals, as one of our five focus areas, is often not funded by philanthropic support via foundations, corporations, and government agencies. CMRs are a key pillar of our racial equity movement, and as a major contributor to our impact work, are also in need of increased general operating support.
Please consider donating to Equiticity and helping us reach our fundraising goal of $75,000 by end of the year. Your personal donations represent a critical source of revenue in support of our functional areas and our CMRs. No amount is too small, and all donations help.
Community Mobility Rituals are mobility events that become ritualized and normalized in neighborhoods. Equiticity coined the term "Community Mobility Rituals", also affectionately known as "CMRs", and we codified CMRs into a formal framework. This codification provides clarity and a broader understanding of CMRs and their impact on neighborhoods. Our codification of CMRs also established standard processes for planning, marketing, implementing, and evaluating CMRs.
Equiticity's five types of CMRs include:
Community Bicycle Rides
Neighborhood Walking Tours
Public Transit Excursions
Group Scooter Rolls
Open Street Festivals
We refer to these mobility events as rituals because they all have the following seven elements in common:
Rhythmic schedule
Neighborhood ownership of "our" space
Priority on socialization
Racialized healing
Reduced barriers to participation
Shared customs
Active disruption of the status quo
CMRs hosted with a rhythmic schedule at the neighborhood level contribute to increased socialization and growing social cohesion in communities. When trust increases in neighborhoods, perceptions of violence decrease. A reduction in the concerns around neighborhood violence moves people to walk, bike, shop, recreate, and explore their communities. More active and hyperlocal explorations make our streets more vibrant. More vibrant streets attract increased retail, leading to greater job creation in our neighborhoods. This virtuous cycle has the potential to contribute to reducing violence in our communities.
CMRs focused on racially marginalized communities, and designed to improve community health and reduce violence, are intentional acts of racialized healing. Achieving racialized healing demands deliberate strategies to reduce barriers to participation (no cost, loaner bikes, etc) and the activation of shared customs to cement social bonds between CMR participants and neighborhood residents.
CMRs as a vehicle for neighborhood transformation explicitly acknowledges the harms of structural racism and racialized inequities on racially marginalized communities. This acknowledgment impels us to disrupt the status quo in our society and on our streets, to ensure we enjoy our human right to increased mobility resulting in improved life outcomes for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.
I want to share a special appreciation for Equiticity's CMR partners during our beautiful 2024 CMRs season:
Lawndale Solidarity Ride (August 11, 2024): A bike ride through North Lawndale and South Lawndale as an experiential testament to the strength and resilience of our collective communities, with stops at key historical and cultural landmarks, reflecting on our shared histories and commitments to justice. Thank you to partners LVEJO, ÚNETE, Lyft, Divvy, and Chicago SAFE Ambassadors.
Bike the Shore for Health & Healing (September 14, 2024): A bike ride as an exploration of the South Shore community and the neighborhood assets that promote social cohesion, and physical and mental wellness. Thank you to partners Black United Fund of Illinois and Divvy.
Neighborhood Walking Tour (October 12, 2024): A walking tour as a community engagement vehicle around Equiticity’s The Go Hub in Bronzeville project by walking and exploring community assets, current transportation options, and residents’ ideas for improvement.
Tailwinds for Tools Bike Ride (October 13, 2024): A bike ride in Rogers Park as a celebration of 10,000 bicycles refurbished and community-oriented educational programs at The Recyclery. Thank you to our partners The Recyclery, Rogers Park Business Alliance, Illinois Main Street, and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (ILDCEO).
The 9 at Night: Riding and Building in Auburn Gresham (October 25, 2024): A bike ride designed to uplift the Auburn Gresham community and highlight new businesses, cultural assets, and beautiful art spaces. Thank you to our partners Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC), Target Area, Public Equity, Illinois Main Street, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (ILDCEO), and Divvy.
Bringing Bronzeville Together Bike Ride (October 27, 2024): A bike ride in Bronzeville as a community engagement vehicle around Equiticity’s The Go Hub Bronzeville project by riding and exploring community assets, current transportation options, and residents’ ideas for improvement.
The Fifth Annual Chicago Bike Collective Ride (November 1, 2024): A 2024 season finale celebration of bike collectives serving Black and Brown communities in Chicago, including community bike clubs, organizations, and retailers. Thank you to our partners Southside Critical Mass, Pilsen Public Art Tours, Ride Illinois, Blackstone Bicycle Works, Boxing Out Negativity, Main Street America, Heads Up for Helmets, B&B Ice Cream and Candy, Lawndale Christian Fitness Center, Historic Pullman Empowerment Organization, and Chicago SAFE Ambassadors.
Rolling Thunder: Exploring the Beauty of York (November 11, 2024): A community bicycle ride on Veteran's Day as an exploration of the beauty in York, Alabama. This CMR is part of Equiticity's work on a USDOT Thriving Communities Program team led by Main Street America. Thank you to our partners City of York, IV Vets, Coleman Center for the Arts, and Main Street America.
Mi Trolley My Ride: Free, Fast, Fun (November 14, 2024): A public transit excursion exploring the City of Independence, Oregon, and learning about a free trolley service to get around town. This CMR is part of Equiticity's work on a USDOT Thriving Communities Program team led by Main Street America. Thank you to our partners MI Trolley, City of Independence, and Main Street America.
Equiticity is proud to partner with Main Street America (MSA), as a member of a USDOT Thriving Communities Program team providing technical assistance and capacity building to 20 rural and indigenous communities and cities across the US. Through this initiative, Equiticity is collaborating with MSA and CBOs and residents in towns across the US to create a framework for integrating social infrastructure and physical infrastructure to establish community ownership of the transportation planning process.
Without our partners, throughout Chicago, across the US, and around the world, our work would not be possible. We are grateful for the many opportunities to amplify our collective work through authentic partnerships and transformative CMRs. In 2025, we look forward to expanding our work on CMRs as impactful vehicles for neighborhood transformation.
We invite you to join us in supporting Equiticity's Community Mobility Rituals by donating to our end of year fundraising campaign.
May we continue building together.
Warm regards,
Oboi
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Olatunji Oboi Reed
President & CEO, The Equiticity Racial Equity Movement
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