Through Major Taylor, Ewing developed a community-building theory where an organization like Cascade can be a meaningful partner in communities of color where they had limited presence before. It never felt helpful for while-led organizations to come into communities of color with a program the organization decided was the solution to that communities problems, he said.
Bike Playground photo from King County Parks. Foundation of White Center and other community members to develop and build the now-open Bike Playground. As Ewing and YES! Director Pat Thompson told Seattle Bike Blog a year ago , the playground idea came from discussions with community leaders. They identified a need together that Cascade had the resources to pursue and help make reality. But his departure puts a lot of pressure on Cascade, which is still working to figure out how equity can be a core value in all their work beyond Major Taylor.
Cascade has long needed Ed more than Ed needed Cascade. The club is now creating a committee directly focused on diversity and inclusion. After all, filling all the roles Ed played is going to take a lot more than just hiring someone new to take his position. Cascade, meanwhile, has had a number of other recent departures from its Education Department, and they were in the process of restructuring those positions even before Ewing announced his departure, said Education Director Shannon Koller.
In the immediate term, the club is hiring a new Human Resources Manager. So if you know someone in HR who likes to hit the ground sprinting, tell them to apply. On a personal note, I know I have learned a lot from Ed just by being around him and reporting about his work. I get the feeling the world has not heard the last of Ed Ewing. Dear Friends, With heartfelt appreciation and gratitude, I have made the decision to pedal into the next stage of my career. Nine years ago, I accepted the challenge to create a small pilot program to reach schools in communities of color with a basic bicycling curriculum.
Rayburn Lewis, Chuck Ayers, and Dr. Through organizational and community support, authentic engagement, and unwavering commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the Major Taylor Project has evolved into a thriving initiative. Starting with two schools reaching 34 students, the Project now reaches 14 schools, over students and students have completed STP.
The Major Taylor Project has evolved into an initiative of community partnership, transformation, and opportunity. I would like to personally and professionally thank each of you for your partnership, your volunteerism, your collaboration, your support, and most of all, your friendship.
I want to thank each of you for cheering on the Major Taylor Project students riding through your neighborhood, in a CX race, or crossing the STP finish line! Keep the momentum going…keep it in the BIG Ring and keep supporting these students!
They are great kids, in great communities, doing great things! Pat Thompson and Rick Harwood , thank you for your vision and seeing the possibility for the Major Taylor Project and for your confidence in my leadership. Our commitment is to have the diversity of our board reflect the diversity of Columbia City. The next step is to look at our staff.
I think one of the best things SDOT can do is to partner with community-based organizations. Come with an intent to listen and learn how the community currently moves through the city and figure out ways support them where they are. It may be biking, it may be something else. Photo by C. When I was little, my family would take off on a weekend afternoon and just ride. Our parents had baskets on their bikes. Mom would pack a lunch.
I had the opportunity to talk to my parents about why they like to bike. But it was something my mom and dad loved to do. It was good exercise, a good way to see the community, and it was just fun. I started riding with him. When I was old enough, they bought me my own 10 speed. I would ride and noticed there were guys out there with these cool wool shorts and wool jerseys on these cool bikes riding really fast and I was keeping up with them.
I was like oh my god, what is that? As soon as I saw that I was hooked. I entered my first bike race and just loved it. After that I wanted to join a team. The day after we got my racing bike I went to Kenwood Cyclery for their Saturday morning training ride.
I rolled up and it was just these really fit guys. All tan, all on brand new Bianchis, with their cycling caps perched on their head that certain way people did back then. These guys were cool. You could see every vein on his leg. He had an awesome handlebar mustache. You could tell this guy was legit. Every training ride he would give me a new tip. Watch and learn from the pack. I got back to my parents place and they were on the back deck. I rolled in and just fell over. I raced all through college in Wisconsin and back in Minneapolis.
I moved out to Seattle in for a job. I put bike racing away for a couple years, but came back. I joined a team out here and got heavily involved. They started the team that became Broadmark. Broadmark split and became Hagens and Carter. Then Carter morphed into Lenovo, which morphed into Audi.
I have such vivid memories. I remember the people who treated me well. A lot of that was based on race. You show up and you are doing a nontraditional sport, ignoring stereotypes. Some people will get past it. It makes them uncomfortable. I remember the first time I went and did the Boise Twilight Crit.
But you understand it, anticipate it, navigate through it, and be successful in spite of it. Are there other barriers to cycling? Economic barriers to entry, racial barriers to entry, simply access is a barrier. There are these pockets of poverty. There are cultural barriers. Soccer and basketball are on their radar. Not all families can afford that. Just by geography, just by access in the community, their opportunities are limited.
They live a few blocks from school. Their world is school, home, school, home. In a lot of cases, the students are not living with the parents. A lot of students are homeless. A friend of mine is the principal. I asked him, given all this, what keeps these kids in school? He explained that in most cases, school is the most stable thing in their life. They get lunch there. We asked our sponsorship department if we could take some of the extra stuff from Chilly Hilly and STP and give them to the students on these rides.
We noticed the students were pretty hungry on the rides and after a long ride you need to fuel up. They said sure take what you need. We came back the following week and said we need more. Then the following week, we need more. They were like what is going on? Lunch is the only warm meal of the day. You hear this on TV or whatever, but this is true. Some of these kids are showing up at Chilly Hilly or Flying Wheels and they have not eaten for a day.
This is real.
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