Community Involvement
I view community involvement as central to my work as a political scientist. Working within community organizations provides opportunities to see theory in action and learn from the work organizers are already doing to answer questions, such as, “how do we develop this organization in a way that is accessible to people from differing walks of life” and “how do we change people’s perception of the space of the street?” Furthermore, while much of my work formal work in community involvement is within the cycling advocacy realm, as an organizer I am primarily concerned with transit justice and bringing a feminist sensibility to the (sometimes) masculine world of cycling.
(borrowed from the excellent Mel Gruver)
Bicycle Lafayette
During my time at Bicycle Lafayette we made the decision to move from being an “anarchic” organization aimed at fighting for a bicycle plan for greater Lafayette into an organization that could build on our earlier successes, and continue to transform the city into a more friendly and safe place for cyclists. In an effort to build accountability and fight against the tyranny of leaderlessness while maintaining a commitment to horizontal leadership we collaborated to create new by-lines that established the Cycle of Directors. Before leaving Lafayette, I served in an interim position as a member of the Cycle of Directors as we worked to establish new meeting practices. My time with Bicycle Lafayette provided opportunities to put theory into practice: through our debates over the by-lines; planning and leading rides during our Bikelantis Weekend; and my work in building collaborations with the Younger Women’s Task Force.
Boston Cyclist Union
After moving to Boston to write my dissertation, I joined the Boston Cyclist Union. As a member, I have taken a leadership role in a new neighborhood chapter in Jamaica Plain. As a member of the leadership team in this group, I assisted in efforts to develop better data on how people get around Centre street through customer surveys, business surveys, and forthcoming efforts to collect ethnographic data on the street. Likewise, I coordinated volunteers for Jamaica Plain Park(ing) Day on September 20, 2019 and have organized monthly meetings to strategize on our current campaigns.