CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — This week's Difference Maker highlights Equiticity, a group that aims to empower Chicago residents of color to explore more of their communities as a way to connect with each other and improve their surroundings.
The events put on by Equiticity are much more than bike rides, said director of operations Cecily Langford. They're community mobility rituals
"To be able to actively get out and feel that power around joining together with you neighbors, with your friends, with your community members to get out and really experience your world from this point of view," Langford said.
The bike rides may be popular, but they're not the only form of transit the racial equity group utilizes.
"Neighborhood walking tours, public transportation excursions, a group scooter roll," she said.
The rides can also highlight disparities in neighborhoods.
"Like, wow, 'I can barely keep my bike upright because of all the potholes or the cracks that are in the street,'" she said. "People realize, 'Why is this?' or they start to ask questions."
The not-for-profit is also training high school students in North Lawndale on how to repair bikes.
"Hands-on learning — not only technical aspects of … [what we call] 'acoustic' bikes, but also all of the electrical components," Langford said.
Students who go through the training receive an $1,100 stipend and a free bicycle. In a video from an earlier ride, the group highlighted how it used a grant to help residents buy their own bikes.
"I had an opportunity to ride electric bikes before, but this was the first time I got to own one like this," a man can be heard saying in the video. "The mobility opportunities fund means freedom, man, it opened up a new portal for me to get to any part of the city and check it out."
Equiticity, making a difference on the streets of North Lawndale and throughout Chicago.
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