La Bici Digna Presentation (ENG)

Los Angeles. July 2010

In 2008, City of Lights was founded to increase visibility of cyclists of color, to provide legal rights and safety trainings, and to empower these cyclists so that they may advocate on their own behalf in their communities.

Along with the National Day Labor Organizing Network (NDLON), the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), and the Popular Education Institute of Southern California (IDEPSCA), City of Lights began its legal rights and safety workshops for day laborers, as well as host bike rides.

In 2009, the Bicycle Kitchen began offering mechanic workshops to day laborers at CARECEN. Based on its success, people began discussing establishing a permanent location at a day laborer center.

By October of 2009, IDEPSCA offered a space at their Downtown Community Job Center in LA's Garment District. With tools and used parts from the Bicycle Kitchen and donations from businesses and individuals, workshops at the space began; with day laborers, Bicycle Kitchen members, and City of Lights volunteers working side-by-side. They named themselves "La Bici Digna".

The day laborers are the volunteers, teaching themselves bike mechanics in alliance with other volunteers and knowledgeable day laborers.

Day laborers and volunteers articulate their visions for the space through small meetings and assemblies.

In these assemblies, as consensus decision-making process, laborers develop as collective members and decision makers, creating the future of the program.

The laborers draw the connection between racist immigration policies and environmental destruction.

They hope to provide a sustainable example for others to follow in directly addressing real needs within a community, and doing so together, democratically, and with dignity.

[The structure and message of this video was decided on by the day laborers during their most recent assembly.]

La Bici Digna
http://ciudaddeluces.wordpress.com/?page_id=261&preview=true

City of Lights
http://ciudaddeluces.wordpress.com/

Bicycle Kitchen
http://www.bicyclekitchen.com

IDEPSCA
http://www.idepsca.org

CARECEN
http://www.carecen-la.org/

NDLON
http://www.ndlon.org

Popular Education Resources
http://www.colectivoflatlander.org/recursos
http://www.nnirr.org/shop/curricula.php
http://www.popednews.org/resources.html

Music: "Cariñito" by Los Hijos del Sol

Titles, Subtitles, and Editing!!! by Sasha

Thanxxx also to Luz

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Community
• Organizing
• Immigration
• Immigrant Rights
• Bicycling
• Cycling
• Bicyclist Rights
• Cyclist Rights
• Legal Rights
• Rights
• Education
• Popular Education
• Los Angeles
• Day Laborers
• Bicycle Kitchen
• IDEPSCA
• LACBC
• City of Lights
• CARECEN
• NDLON
• Environmental Justice
• Environmental Racism
• Social Justice
• Social Ecology
• Mechanics
• Skillshare
• Collective
• Co-op
• Chicano
• Chicana
• Chican@
• Latino
• Latina
• Latin@
• Hispanic
• Latin America
• Central America