ARKANSAS LATINAS EN BICI
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Mission Statement
We strive to improve physical and mental well-being for Latinas as well as creating fellowship through our Biciescuela Clases, weekly bike rides and multicultural events.
About This Cause
1. Who we are Latinas en Bici’s (LEB) mission is to welcome and educate Latina women into the world of cycling. More broadly, we exist to improve the social and physical well-being of Latinas in Northwest Arkansas through weekly bike rides, education and nutrition workshops, family programming, and multicultural events. Founded in 2019, Latinas en Bici started as a cycling group with 10 members, women (mostly mothers) who needed a community circle and a way to prioritize their health. As the group expanded, LEB (now 470 members strong) is committed to being a place where women and families feel relaxed, safe, welcomed, and empowered-- a place where they can strengthen their connection to their community. 2. What we do Central to Latinas en Bici is a commitment to helping Latina women and girls lead healthier and more fulfilling lives through cycling. All our programming is free to participants and includes a series of regular programming, special events, and workshops: Weekly rides: Our weekly rides are the foundation of our company. LEB encourages women and young girls to ride bikes to take care of their physical and emotional health. We make use of Northwest Arkansas’ bounty of road and mountain trails, connecting participants to nature, upskilling their cycling, and building community. On average, we have 3 Latinas riding every week. La Biciescuela—Bike School: Through the Weekly Rides, we’ve seen firsthand the gaps in cycling education that make it difficult for participants to feel confident cycling on their own. We developed the Biciescuela curriculum to focus on building the basic skills for riding bicycles, and familiarizing participants with the 40-mile Razorback Trail System. Biciescuela is offered monthly from May to September and averages 15 participants monthly Family Programming: Latinas often have an outsized impact on their families, so we quickly noticed that it was essential to create a connection for our participants (70% of whom are moms) and created two programs: Familia en Bici (Families on Bikes) and Latinitas en Bici. The former is a four-day workshop with essentials for rising as a family. Latinitas en Bici launches summer 2024 and is focused on youths Latinas. Access to Bicycles: One of the key barriers to participation in any of our programs is whether participants have a bike. To offset financial barriers to entry (even a basic road bike ranges from $575-$1,000), we have a fleet of bicycles that can be reserved for a $10 donation and we also have a restored donated bike program in partnership with Pedal I Forward that allows us to gift restored bikes to participants. 3. Why we do it Latinas en Bici exists to improve the social and physical well-being of Latinas. We share a belief shared by many that when you lift women, there’s a ripple effect that then lifts their families and our collective humanity. Our work is also a response to the disparities Latinas experience both intra-culturally and within our communities. Latinas en Bici is an opportunity to support and counterpoint acute challenges: • As a group, Latinx families and their children are more likely to face institutional and socio-structural inequities and social and economic stressors—such as poverty, xenophobia, racism, residential segregation, and discrimination—that jeopardize their well-being. • Health challenges are especially acute for women in Arkansas: o Arkansas has the 4th worst ranking nationwide for mortality rates from heart disease among women of all ages. o Arkansas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation, and that rate of death is highest among Black and Latinx women. o Nationally, Arkansas has the 4th highest obesity rate in the nation. Within that, Hispanics (77%) had the highest obesity rates in the state by race/ethnicity. • Socio-economic indicators are also an acute issue for women in Arkansas : o In Arkansas, only 20% of women hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, with the overall state average hovering around 23% – all compared to the national average of 41%. o Around 18% of Arkansas women live in poverty and 41% of single parent households with children live in poverty, with 80% of single parent households led by women. o Latinas in Arkansas make almost half of what their white male counterparts make at 53 cents on the dollar, the lowest rate compared to White, Asian, and Black women in the state. o 20.4% of Arkansas' Hispanic residents were living in poverty as of 2022. o 10.6% of Arkansas' Hispanic residents, who have diabetes, are considerably more likely than those without it to develop heart disease or stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and other serious health conditions. Latinas en Bici’s Value-Add: Being a woman in Arkansas is not easy, let alone being Latina. Latinas en Bici therefore centers health, community, and empowerment to create meaningful change for our participants. Recognizing that change is a marathon, not a sprint, we are laying the groundwork for a cultural shift that will take years, perhaps generations, to fully realize. Our goal is to instill the value of physical activity as a norm within our community, creating a lasting impact through a lens that centers and celebrates the Latino experience.