A week overdue & a title that's already been used: its been a busy two weeks and I've been struggling to get this issue out already for a week!
My feeling is routine is returning for many here in Amsterdam and elsewhere but concurrently, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the world.
Not to mention, per the theme of last week's issue: dissatisfaction with injustice in the USA has spread globally toppling symbols of imperialism, racism and neo‐colonialism in Europe as well but its not enough.
Ultimately, if it is trepidation in the era of Corona or doubt as to how you can help the Black Lives Matter movement maintain its momentum; simply standing on the sidelines unsure of what to do just isn't ok. Armchair activism and virtue signalling obviously fall short too, so what can you do?
For starters, today is Juneteenth:
[This day] celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.
Here is more on BBC about what you need to know about this historic holiday, the NYT is sharing live updates as it is celebrated like never before, and here are ways both companies and individuals can use Juneteenth to practice active allyship:
- Give employees a “day on" – Just like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, this is not a day off—it’s a day away from your job to do work that supports creating a more just and equal society. Encourage employees to volunteer with organisations in their community, or find ways to support organisations and causes devoted to anti-racism.
- Host events – this is an ideal day for non-Black people within your organisation to create spaces for others to learn more about Juneteenth. Some simple ways to make an impact include sharing articles on Juneteenth and hosting discussion groups. Come together to build the next phase of your plan to become an anti-racist organisation.
- Share resources for education – An important part of education is creating awareness—if you are a leader in your organisation, share an email recognising the day, and include resources for learning. Jamelle Bouie’s article gives a great overview.
- Unlearn bad habits and misinformation – reflect on some important questions like: what structures still exist today that perpetuate racial injustice
- How might I be contributing to the problem? – As you consider the structures that exist, it’s also important to examine how you may be complicit in this system.
- How might you as an individual—either through actions or lack thereof—be building a society or workplace that is not equitable for Black people? – It may be recognising ways in which you perpetuate harmful stereotypes like maybe you let racist comments that others make in your presence slide or perhaps you were previously apathetic about racism because you felt it does not directly affect you.
Reflecting and acting on these questions is a good step to becoming actively anti-racist.
As always, thank you for reading and I wish you a great weekend ahead,
Jon
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p.s. please lend a hand in intro'ing this newsletter to others:
➫ 🐦 a tweet 💼 a post on LinkedIn 🚩or a share on FB.
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Cover image by Chris McNally from Tom Hill's Warbird article on pannier.cc below.
Bikes
Salsa Warbird - The Flight Of The Original Gravel Bike
What makes a bike a gravel bike? My friend Tom Hill delves into the development of the Salsa Warbird - a genre-defining machine; the original gravel bike.
The Bicycle - Pessimists Archive
When the bicycle debuted in the 1800s, it was blamed for all sorts of problems—from turning people insane to devastating local economies to destroying women’s morals. We explore why the bicycle scared so many people, and what happens if the opposite of our fears turn out to be true.
The Bicycle as a Vehicle of Protest
Bicycles are powerful things—inexpensive, versatile tools that can be used by dissenters to sneak up and speed off, to organize and mobilize and elude.
Twotone Clients
SILCA's Marginal Gains TV: Chain Friction Explained!
We recently shipped out samples of SILCA's new lube to riders around The Netherlands and Belgium.
In this episode of Marginal Gains TV literally picks apart the components of a chain and explain where friction happens. Josh uses 3D modeling to dive deep into the moving parts and how something so simple is actually complex and important to increase speed and efficiency.
Stay tuned for a few other new products from SILCA soon too!
Route plannen gids: bouw de ultieme fietsroute met Komoot
We've been helping komoot with Dutch PR for quite some time now. Here's a great recent resource that we helped make happen for route planning with our favorite app for route planning!
Ampler e-bike sales grow 88% in first five months of 2020 as bike sales soar in Europe
"Ampler’s near future plans include opening a new showroom in Cologne, launching a new mobile app, expanding the service partner network in the Netherlands and Switzerland and continuing to grow the ambassador program."
Learning
Circular Cycling
My friend Erik Bronsvoort has published a book along with co-author Matthijs Gerrtis entitled Circular Cycling. More about the book can be found here.
One of the few benefits to emerge from this pandemic is that the world’s population has been given a crash course in complexity.
"Behaviour is contagious because we catch it from other people. Much of what we do results from unconscious mimicry of others around us."
Life after COVID: Europeans want to keep their cities car-free
City dwellers across Europe are getting used to clean air.
Radness
The Woodmasters | episode Vershout
I was introduced to Wouter, late last year via some work in the cycling world that he had done. We've been keeping in touch and he recently shared this short film series around the topic of artisan craftsmanship in green woodworking , a form of wood craft or in broad terms, carpentry, that works unseasoned or "green" timber into finished items. Check it out! : )