East and Central Harlem are
amazing neighborhoods.
It's such a diverse group of people that live here.
But it's also facing
a lot of health inequities.
I believe that being outside
and being in these green spaces
really has a positive effect on your health.
Not being able to access that
definitely puts you at a disadvantage
to other folks that didn't have that kind of access.
The push to have safe infrastructure
where people could ride
safely without being concerned
about getting hit by vehicles
was something that we thought was very important.
El Barrio Bikes promotes inclusivity,
and we break down biking barriers
through programming, through events, and through advocacy.
We have a lot of community contracts
with We Out who is actually leading
all of our great work with El Barrio Bikes.
We Out? Well, we out.
That's what it means. It means that we outside.
It's like a slang term
that a lot of people would recognize.
It's also kind of like my nod
to be very clear on
who the space is created for.
So this idea that people in East Harlem
don't ride bikes was just born out
to be completely untrue.
Now there's more cycles
all over the place than there ever were.
And that's what prompted me to start We Out,
was to make this space specifically
for bipoc individuals to get outside,
and what I'm hoping to achieve is
just a whole lot of smiles.
Part of engagement, part El Barrio Bikes
is to engage and create an inclusive environment.
When I became a bike leader,
I didn't know the impact it would have on myself.
You have to learn how to ride the bike first,
but after that, we're going to be there to support you.
Part of that barrier to biking could be language,
and if I'm bilingual, why not use my skills
to engage the community as well?
The support of the CDC has been absolutely crucial
because without this funding
we couldn't fund the community.
Health equity means to me creating space
and opportunity for people to be outside.
Working together with community in the present.
And at the end of the day,
people want to get where they're going.
Yo pienso en la salud de todo el mundo
y yo pienso como nosotros podemos
apoyar para que la salud de toda la gente se mejore.