This weekend at Roam Fest Fruita will mark my one year anniversary of working as the DEI Coordinator for @thisisroam!! Last summer, I cold called @roamrydes and brought up a lot of questions and concerns I had as a woman of color going into a bike festival. She heard me. She listened. And she went into action. We‘ve worked together to create an amazing BIPOC scholarship program for 40 riders this year to get to the festivals and have support along the way. Plus some really cool opportunities to work with some of our partners and sponsors! Our SHREDtalks panel focuses on highlighting and elevating diverse leaders and community builders in the sport. I have the privilege of moderating the talk, so the lucky folks at the festival get to hear me ramble on a mic for an hour 😅 We’ve started working with local adaptive groups to create a space for ALL people on bikes — no matter what type of bike they’re on. (Shoutout @catalyst_sports and @tellurideadaptive) And honestly, there’s so much more. From the staff to the participants, the film night to the trails— I can honestly say that diversity, equity and inclusion matters. Roam Fest is special. The team is a family. And when I came in last year, challenging us to be better and show up for community in a more inclusive and welcoming way — there was nothing but support. I’m grateful to be a part of this fam and I can’t wait to play bikes with everyone this weekend!!!! 📸: @pattyvphotography #diversifyoutdoors #outdoorasian #latinooutdoors #recreateresponsibly #shredthepatriarchy #mtb #womenwhobike #womenwhomtb #roamfest #roamfestfruita #representationmatters