Today, Chipps wrote this:
It shouldn’t need saying, which is why it absolutely does: As the editor of a mountain bike magazine – a hobby dominated by white, middle class people – I wanted to state that there’s no room in our sport, magazine, or world, for racism. Everyone has to play their part.
Chipps Chippendale – Singletrack Editor
‘Playing your part’ is something we’ve been conscious of for some time, but as we sit here today, we know we’ve not done enough.
The representation of people of colour within the pages – paper and virtual – of Singletrack, is an issue we’re aware of. All too often, the only non-white skin in the images are those of the local people in the far flung lands that we feature.
We’re not going to add our words in place of absent voices, so instead we’re sharing these sources in the hope that they will reach a new audience. But we also want to find a way to fill the void. We are ashamed that among the many writers we have, we don’t feel like there’s even one we could ask to contribute to the conversation right now, or to ask their opinion on the right way forward.
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We are part of the problem. If you’re reading this, we’d like your help to change that.
You don’t need to be a professional to write for Singletrack, you just need to be able to tell a great mountain biking tale that others will want to read.
Help us to share your stories and change Singletrack for the better.
Writers and photographers are invited to submit story ideas to editorial@singletrackworld.com
If you don’t want to write a whole story, tag us (@singletrackmag) in a picture of you out on your ride on Instagram stories and we will re-share posts to help diversify the feed of the bike media
Read more
- #outdoorsforall
- #diversifytheoutdoors
- BlPoC | It’s not just about cycling, it’s outdoors and adventure too.
- Alexandera Houchin Is Ultra Cycling’s Underdog—And She Has No Patience for Haters
- Now Is Not The Time To Post Your Adventure Photos
Recommended reading from the League of American Bicyclists:
- Stop Killing Us: A Real Life Nightmare / Tamika Butler
- Transformative Talks / Untokening & Pueblo Planning
- The Toxic Intersection of Racism and Public Space / Brentin Mock
- Silence is Agreement / Ayesha McGowan
- The Black Urbanist / Kristen Jeffers
- The Brown Bike Girl / Courtney Williams
- Attention Transportation Advocates: Race Is A Part Of The Work / Dara Baldwin
Accusations of ‘virtue signalling’ or being a ‘white knight’ seem to originate in several thoughts/attitudes.
1. “I am fine and therefore – why do things need to change?”
2. “I am happy with how I am – don’t feel I am personally prejudiced and so why do I need to challenge my views or thoughts?”
3. “This is all in the imagination of people who don’t have the capability to succeed or who have made the wrong choices.”
4. “How can I be privileged – I’m not rich/I’m self-made and no-one helped me/I have black friends”
5. “I have black friends/employees/neighbours and I don’t feel the need to make a point of it.”
All of them not really acknowledging the problem and ignoring why change is required and why change starts with all of us.
More likely is that time after time we see the same self-professed middle aged, middle class, white, privileged group of people make hollow token gestures, pat themselves on the back for a day or two so they can feel good about themselves, before going back to their day to day lives having made zero meaningful change. But at least their peers get to see them make the odd post on social media here and there. And of course if you’re a white women of privilege (let’s be honest, the most privileged of all groups), as a group you just have to take the opportunity to try and hijack the movement with it’s grass roots in black issues and make it about yourselves.
Kahl. Is there a real point to your posts or Have you run out of diversions under your bridge…?
The point is the people I mention above are doing the least, most minimum amount they can do that either makes them feel or look better, not anything real to help.
Read the article again. What are they actually doing? The have asked people to submit content to them with their stories. Only asked them to via an open invite. Least amount of effort on their part. Why not go out there and look for writers, either existing or people with potential and their stories rather than sit back and wait for others to get in touch? As posted by someone above, this was hightlighted in an article two years ago. What have they done about it since?
Second they have offered to repost of peoples social media content if they tag them in the first place. Again, minimum effort. Why not go out their and make the first contact? If you care enough and want to actually do something that leads to results you would be out there in the first place looking for these people and approaching them. Why not approach representatives of minority groups, offer to put on an introductory day of mountain biking, show them the ropes? Make an article about it, make it a regular event. Run a campaign to buy bikes, setup and contribute to a fundraiser to get disadvantaged minority kids involved in the sport through schools or youth groups. Approach sponsors and companies within the idustry, write articles about what they are doing on the issue, if doing nothing then challenge them – put it in writing, publish it, comment on the response. Follow it up.
But hey ho, turn your instagram black for a day or whatever. That’s easy enough eh, and some faceless corporation thought it up already so saves you having to come up with anything yourselves. And of course all your followers will get to see that you care. That’ll buy a couple more years until the next time, then rinse and repeat. And I’m the troll?
Good. Now we’re getting constructive.
@kahl thank you for making those suggestions. Some of them we have tried and probably need to try again, some of them are ideas we will look at. We don’t think this story is going to answer the problem, we’re just trying to take steps in the right direction. Hopefully each step reveals new paths we can take, and more suggestions like yours that we can pursue.