As I reflect upon my time at Bikemore this summer,“ transformative” is the best word that comes to mind. No amount of research into bike advocacy and community organizing could have truly prepared me for this internship. Before I began working at Bikemore, I admittedly knew very little about its work in Baltimore City. The journey was challenging and not without its fair share of ups and downs, but after just a few weeks, I confidently see myself as an advocate for Complete Streets that are built for people and not just cars.
My experience transformed my idea of community organizing. I’ ve felt the temptation to define success based on whether a certain goal is achieved. But when it comes to community organizing, I’ ve learned not to evaluate a project based on this metric. While working in Reservoir Hill, I formed some amazing relationships with neighbors who were incredibly invested in their community. I also had the privilege of engaging with dozens of people at events like the Druid Hill Farmer’ s Market. Ultimately, we decided that our initial vision for the project likely wasn’ t going to be successful. There may not be a finished product to show for our work just yet, but I now understand that the objective should really be interacting with neighbors and learning from them, rather than completing a to-do list exactly to plan.
Most importantly, this experience has transformed my vision of Baltimore City as a whole. While certain neighborhoods in the city are granted the resources and public forums necessary to advocate for what they believe is best in their community, other neighborhoods are rendered almost entirely voiceless. I’ ve learned the importance of community input in any equitable process. I had the opportunity to witness City Council hearings, where advocates pushed back against the flawed notion that bike lanes render the Fire Department unable to fight fires in the city. I found myself becoming swept away by the passion of those around me to create that equitable process the city needs.
At first, I felt angry and helpless, but I’ ve learned that those natural emotions don’ t do anything to implement a real change. This summer has empowered me to transform my anger into determination and my helplessness into inspiration to advocate for positive change in this city.
• Organized Reservoir Hill neighbors in planning a public art project to gauge needs and desires of the community for an upcoming traffic study
• Planned the Big Jump Block Party for late August, commemorating the construction of a multi-use shared pathway along Druid Park Lake Drive
• Represented the rights of cyclists and pedestrians in Baltimore City at stakeholder meetings and“ get out the vote” events
Community Partner: Bikemore Intern: Amanda Donoghue Site Supervisor: Liz Cornish
What is Bikemore? Bikemore works to ensure our local leaders have a vision for Baltimore that includes increased mobility and makes livable streets a priority. We recognize that including diverse perspectives is essential toward creating political action that is inclusive and responsive to people’ s needs.
11