Austin bike tour explores city's historic Black sites with community rides
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Austinites celebrate Black History Month, residents are welcomed to take a spin through local historic sites with a guided community bike tour this weekend.
The Black History Bike Ride group will host a community ride from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, beginning at the George Washington Carver Museum at 1165 Angelina St.
Talib Abdullahi launched Black History Bike Ride back in 2019 as a means of connecting friends and community members with Austin’s Black history. Some of the stops flagged on the group’s original route include the Texas African American History Memorial at the State Capitol; the Haskell House in at 1705 Waterston Ave. in the Clarksville neighborhood; Richard Overton’s home at 2011 Hamilton Ave.; and Huston-Tillotson University at 900 Chicon St.
Afterwards, participants are invited to attend three film screenings at Antone’s Nightclub downtown, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday’s screenings focus on three films centered around the connections between Black community members and cycling:
- “Momentum” is a film centered around Austin’s Black History Bike Ride, its origin and its storytelling efforts
- “The Route to Emancipation” tells the story of a group of cyclists who completed a 350-mile to Galveston, noted as the birthplace of the Juneteenth holiday
- “A Race in the Sun” chronicles the story of Ayesha McGowan, who became the first Black female professional road cyclist on a U.S. team
Those interested in attending the screenings at Antone’s can come for free, with donations suggested to benefit the group’s efforts, per the Black History Bike Ride’s event posting. Reservations and donations can be made online.
