Dirt, Snow, Art and Inclusion

May 4, 2020 1:45 AM

Becoming Ruby follows Brooklyn Bell, a Pacific Northwest based artist, mountain biker, and skier. A short flick that focuses on race, gender, and mountain bikes.

Shown but not explained in the video, enduro races consist of multiple downhill stages connected by uphill portions. The uphill portions must be completed under a certain time limit and under the riders own power, but otherwise are not measured for results. The downhill stages are timed and then added together, lowest total time wins.

posted by yeahwhatever (3 comments total)

Thanks for this. The lack of diversity in the cycling community is troubling, and kudos for all involved in contributing to making cycling more warm and welcoming for everyone.

WTF Bike Explorers
The Major Taylor Project
Oboi Reed
posted by St. Oops at 7:57 AM on May 4, 2020

I've been following Brooklyn for a few years now- first for her art, now for her advocacy. She's recently branched more into the winter sports I do, and seeing her tackle backcountry winter sports- which are SO SO SO White has been really interesting. She has an inherent love of nature/ is a super skilled athlete, but she is also so vulnerable and open about her experience and what has worked and what hasn't. She's also just so warm and friendly and I see her and her work regularly amplified (almost always by white women which is weird? but also... thats how I first learned about her art) across platforms. I hope that she doesn't burn out creating space for herself. It has been exhausting (and performative) to be a women in outdoor sports for a long time, I can't imagine how hard it must be to a POC, and I really welcome her notes about the distinction between "Welcoming" and "Inclusive". She's also done an amazing job of elevating other athletes that I would have never known about- I think this past February, she highlighted a different POC athlete every day and it really was excellent to learn more about the community and whom to cheer for!

It is also great that she's getting serious sponsership, but I do worry about her becoming the "token" POC. That's not fair to her or others, I hope she's able to open the door, come in, and that the rest of us shuffle over and make space. (I don't hold out too much hope, but ugh, I can dream right?)
posted by larthegreat at 8:36 AM on May 4, 2020 [3 favorites]

This is awesome. Skiing and biking are religion to me and it is troubling how white they are. Both my kids are mixed race and my oldest has jumped into both sports feet first. He's an anxious kid who worries a lot about racism and figuring out how to succeed in a world that doesn't seem made for him. But when he's on the mountain, he has so much determination and fearlessness, he's the one pushing me, and the hours together are golden. I took him for a ride yesterday that I knew he would shy away from if he had had all the details about it before hand, but I also knew that once he got up there, he would reach inside and be able to finish it and be proud of himself. I just can't get him to do that with school, or soccer, or art. I would hate for him to give this up because of some bullshit high school social pressure when he's older.

Brooklyn brought up money a few times. I am guessing very few of those women in the Enduro race slept in the back of their car the night before the race. I think the perceived (and real) financial barriers to participation are an important part of the equation. I am fortunate to have the means to provide access. While there are work-arounds to lower the barriers, you have to have role models and come from a community that makes this happen and that's where those of us with the privilege need to be overwhelmingly welcoming and invite diversity.

At least one of our ski racing clubs sponsors a number of lift passes and has hand me down gear, and Major Taylor gets around this by teaching kids to build/repair old road bikes as they train. Unfortunately, kids make an even bigger deal about gear than adults do and being the one person of color AND lacking Goretex or carbon-fiber I fear is even more alienating.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:05 AM on May 4, 2020 [2 favorites]