Happy Black History Month
Me and my friend Dev being “young, gifted, and Black”
I’m in a VERY good mood. I’ve been feeling so much gratitude and optimism lately, which feels very contrary to the world raging around me. I often find myself doom spiraling over things I have little to no control over, so I’m going to ride this wave of positivity till the wheels fall off and I won’t feel any shame or guilt about it.
Finding joy and light in the face of darkness is a priority for me. I’ve spent too many days being unable to get out of bed and function as a responsible adult, and unfortunately, I know my experience is becoming more and more common as things around us deteriorate. Especially in the US. I don’t think I need to outline the horrors that persist. If you really want to know, just turn on the news. I know I talk a lot about inequity, and struggle, etc, and it’s important to never forget about those things. As Zora Neale Hurston aptly quoted.
“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.”
It’s for that exact reason, we are constantly seeing history being rewritten or outright erased.
Regardless, I would choose to be Black in every lifetime, timeline, universe, galaxy, multiverse, wherever. Being Black is unmatched, and just like James Brown, I am always proud to be Black. Black people are funny, joyful, multidimensional, brilliant, all the things. Can this be said for other folks, sure, but right now, I’m talking about my folks!
So keeping in mind that the only thing I’m required to do is “stay Black and die”, I’m choosing to celebrate this month as joyfully as I can. As part of my celebrations, I’ve decided to share this collection of random videos that make me chuckle:
In other news, Detroit and Iowa were cold, but they were FUN! I felt the classic hit “It’s so cold in the D” in my BONES. I honestly don’t know how they ‘sposed ta keep peace in those temperatures! Regardless, I had myself a good time. My buddy sam bought me a carhart hat and convinced me to go for a walk in the snow. It was so much fun. We made snow angels, and I OVERHEATED! Auntie wasn’t playing games with the cold, I was PREPARED.
The Iowa Bike expo & Banquet was really nice. It was great to see so many people come out to support bike things in negative temperatures (the real feel reached -28 degrees Fahrenheit. Thankfully, the programming was all indoors. There were a bunch of really incredible vendors, and a really cool BMX demo area. They even quoted me in the local news. There’s an initiative to build a local indoor bmx facility, and there appears to be quite a bit of support for it!
One of the highlights for me was meeting Kittie Weston-Knauer, a 77 year old Black woman who actively races BMX. She’s obviously one of the fiercest champions in the local community, having been around for years. So many people came up to me and told me about how Kittie got them into bikes, or even BMX racing. In some cases, that extended through generations, moms mentioned being inspired by Ms. Kittie as teenagers, and now their kids have been taken under her wing. I LOVE to see it! And of course, she’s a firecracker of a woman, and just incredibly kind. Des Moines is lucky to have Ms. Kittie around, and they all know it!
Connor Fields, Kittie Weston-Knauer, and Myself!
My speech went well. I spoke about getting more folks on bikes by creating truly equitable opportunities in cycling while using joy as a cornerstone. Thanks so much to the Iowa Bike Coalition for the invite. It was a lovely experience. It was also really nice meeting Connor Fields, a retired Gold Medal Olympic BMX racer. I enjoyed hearing him talk about his experience, and it was really cool to see the young BMX kids fanboy over him. Y’all know I love seeing people be excited about bikes.
Atlanta was also cute. It was nice finally seeing temperatures about freezing. I was able to see some of my family and spend time with my grandma. She’s 90 now, so time with her feels more precious than ever. Every time I visit, I take her to try a different international cuisine. So far we’ve tried Thai, Indian, Mexican, and this trip Vietnamese. To be honest, it’s possible grandma has had some of these foods before, but she’s been approaching each dinner as a new experience, and it melts my heart every time.
This time we had Pho. She learned how to use chopsticks in less than a minute, and ate the whole bowl. She LOVED it. We washed it down with berry lemonade with jellies. Then we went home, where I helped her fix things around the house. I LOVE my grandma so much it’s ridiculous, and if I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if she outlived us all. But at 90, I know that’s not the most likely scenario, so I intend to spend as much time with her as I can, while I can.
She called me the other day to tell me that she loves me, and said two things that will stay with me forever. “If anyone tells you otherwise, they’re lying.” and “If i ever start talking nasty to you, it’s because my mind is gone”.
Luckily for now, she’s still as sharp as ever. She is literally the smartest and most capable person I’ve ever met, and many of the good things about me came from her. I was born into the world with three grandmas (my paternal grandfather remarried). She’s the only one still alive, but they were all lovely in their own way. I seriously won the grandma lottery and I will be forever thankful to the universe for that.
On my way back to Spain, I stumbled across a Martin Luther King Jr. display at the Atlanta Airport. I thought this was pretty cool.
Hm. Bike racing? The season is in full swing, and it’s been excellent so far. The australian block is done, and the women’s UAE tour starts on Thursday! Thanks to everyone who’s been supporting the Women’s Bike Racing Fan Club, it’s been a hit so far, and I’m excited about where it’s headed. I’m looking forward to going to watch Paris Roubaix live and make some fun fan club content around it! Let me know if you have any fun or silly ideas you’d like to see come to life!
I think that’s more than enough for now! Happy Black History Month y’all. It’s real short, so don’t let it pass you by without an adequate celebration!
