Bike and Brunch Tours

08/28/2022

Details in our IG story. Visit for details about the orchards, gardens, and CSA membership.

06/21/2022

We’re Outside!

Tours are rolling in Baltimore, MD, Charlotte, MD, and Richmond, VA. Join us offline! You may have noticed that our social media has been on an extended “Brunch Break”. If you want to unplug, join us to bike and brunch around the city. For tour schedules visit bit.ly/ToursAndDates.

Join our team and join the fun. Send us a message!

02/26/2022

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood for retail therapy - topped with ice cream!

This is the last day to preview the newest tour, Chop x Shop, before it officially launches in April.

Click the link in our bio for more details. Ticket sales for the 2022 Season begin March 1st!

02/25/2022

Drop in! Welcome CIAA Tournament guests & local food and shopping fans. You are invited to preview our newest tour Friday (2/25) and Saturday (2/26).

Each day has something different at the end. Your tour pass qualifies you for a gift and gives you access to sip, bite, and on tour shopping discounts.

Thursday: Mess in a Bottle behind the scene and shopping experience. See where the “Mess” and the magic happens. Shop with a special 40% off discounts for purchases made during the tour.

Friday: Black Business Block Party + Cigar and Tea pairing.

Arrive at 1:15pm. Tours depart at 1:30pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from Mt. Vernon Marketplace. For more details visit bit.ly/CHOPXSHOPTOUR.

--- Official launch date Spring 2022 ---


**rs

01/16/2022

We platted a few 2022 MLK Day of Service events.  But first, tea…

The Crystal Tea Room (Los Angeles circa 1940s) invited musicians to gather across racial lines. "Tea rooms" were popular gathering places.   Despite the forces of racial segregation jazz musicians came together here to improve their craft as individuals and as part of a greater community of musicians.  In the spirit of what took place in spaces like The Crystal Tea Room, of allies and co-conspirators like Rabbi Israel Seymour Dresner, and of the greater Civil Rights movement we hope more people will come together to amplify calls for justice - for the benefit of us all. 

In 1957, Martin Luther King Jr. gave the "Give Us the Ballot"  speech advocating voting rights for African Americans in the United States.  Today in 2022 we remain in a battle for voting rights.  In past years, on January 15th Dr. King's birthday and January 17th the Day of Service, we celebrated. This year King’s family has requested no celebration unless federal lawmakers pass voting rights legislation. Here are a few ways to do just that Monday and beyond:

Washington, DC | Martin Luther King III will lead a march on Martin Luther King Jr. Day across the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in at 10 am (EST).

Charlotte, NC | To honor King’s legacy, the Levine Museum of the New South’s virtual celebration focused on the importance of voting rights from 7-8 p.m. Live on Facebook and YouTube.
 
Everywhere | Participate in Action Alerts at naacp.org/take-action

Everywhere | Take part in a campaign to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act!
NUL.org/washington-bureau

Everywhere | Search ways to engage across the US.
WhenWeallVote.org

📸: Charles Williams Collection, Crystal Tea Room, Los Angeles, 1949 California State University, Northridge

Service2022

12/30/2021

In the spirit of both Ujamaa, (cooperative economics), and Nia (purpose) we want to highlight 5 food co-ops that buy from black farmers, address food insecurity, and support urban agriculture.  

Mandela Grocery Cooperative

Detroit People’s Food Co-op

Central Brooklyn Food Co-op


Cherry Hill Co-op

Central West Baltimore Buying Club

Shopping local, buying from local farmers,  and joining a buying clubs/food co-op in 2022 will help sustainable food sources and make fresh produce more accessible to all. We are doing just this as we prepare for Karamu in Sankofa Community Orchard (See previous post)
 
Share a co-op near you in the comments! 
 
 
 

   

12/27/2021

Habari gani? May the principles of Kwanzaa ring in your heart and actions on this first day of the celebration and  beyond.

On this first day of Kwanzaa we celebrate Umoja (unity) by sharing this list of Kwanzaa events (virtual and in person):

Umoja Run
The Power of Kwanzaa Elegba Folklore Society]
Second Annual Kwanzaa Festival , preserveeatonville.org/
Virtual Kwanzaa workshop
Kwanzaa Happy Hour
Elgba Folklore Society Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Elegba Folklore Society]
Community Gardens Tour and Brunch with at  

Visit their pages for details. Help spread the Umoja love, share other Kwazaa celebrations in the comment section below.

📸 Kwanzaa Celebration circa 1968 via unknown source

Kwanzaa

12/23/2021

Holiday shopping for the bike lover in your life? Here are six gifts you can get on time and where to find them.  

1) Bicycles Gear | (Philadelphia)

2) Bicycles + Accessories | (Atlanta)

3) Bicycle Bags | R.E. Load Bags (Philadelphia) 

4) Bicycle Tour Gift Cards |  gift cards located in

11/30/2021

Youth in Business, give them all your money. Maybe not all of it, but some.

Donate. Shop. Take a Class.

YiB is located in the heart of Baltimore's Black Arts District on Pennsylvania Ave. If you ever,
* Purchased a Bike and Brunch Tours t-shirt, you supported them. -> They printed and shipped it.
* Admired our updated logo. -> They did that too.
* Taken the Harbor to the Heights: Black Arts District and Neighborhood Tour-> You have seen their office and their work. Oh yes, they do murals too - along with a few pretty dope artists you may know like and .

Link in bio for these and a quick donation link.

Learn more. Peek at today's story and read below.👇🏾

Youth in Business (YiB) is a program at Jubilee Arts that cultivates the entrepreneurial leadership skills of high school aged youth by providing hands on experience operating an art-based business. Through the Youth in Business design collective, youth learn how to run a successful business as a team, selling high quality art products achieving cooperative financial sustainability for youth business owners. Youth are supported in leadership development within the program in addition to career and higher education planning support to provide youth long term economic independence.

Youth in Business is a free program that offers classes in design, business, and ceramics, and, most importantly, all youth gain hands-on experience running a business! 

Youth in the program:
Learn: Business Skills, Ceramics, Graphic Design, Screen Printing
Earn: $ from products and monthly stipend
Grow: as a leader
Receive: College and career mentorship

 
All participating youth live in our near the neighborhood.

11/27/2021

Are you rethinking your 2021 gift list?  Gifting an experience is the new trend.

Why?
Prevent supply chain bottleneck woes.  Avoid the wait and cost of shipping.   
Bring friends and family together.  Share memories that will last a lifetime.  
These “one size fits all” gifts are sure to be a fit with those on your gift list.  
Make your dollar go further and support the local economy by  purchasing an experience from a local business, a business that makes an impact, and businesses owned by Black, Brown, and Indiginegious communities.  
It’s the sustainable thing to do.  No excess packaging means less waste for landfills and fewer Amazon boxes pilling up at home.

Shop Bike and Brunch Tours for gift cards. Gift cards are good for bicycle rentals in Baltimore and tours in Baltimore, Richmond, and Charlotte.  Tours season: April 2022 - October 2022.

 

10/15/2021

"Need a ride? Rent me!" 🚲💭

👉🏾bit.ly/mybikeRental (case sensitive)
📸

10/10/2021

Biking, it's the peace of mind! 

Cycling and mental health experts agree, biking has mental health benefits. These benefits include:

1.  Improves Your Mood.
2. Produces Endorphins and Acts as an Anti-Depressant
3. Biking  Reduces Anxiety.
4. Reduces Stress.
5. Boosts Self-esteem.

Visit our stories for more resources.

📸

09/25/2021

See you in the garden!  🌻🧇

Our weekly tours will carry on.  But👆🏾 we also have something for those who want to step away from the bike to serve. (Link in bio).

Volunteer Days take place in 21217.  This zip code in West Baltimore is home to Sandtown-Winchester, many community gardens, the Black Arts District, and many great people doing good work.  Most are far from new to this work but they are absolutely true to it. We are honored to roll up our sleeves to dig in and get dirty with them  (literally or figuratively).  We hope you will join us.🧹🌻

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We will w**d and plant in the Memory Garden dedicated to lives lost due to gun violence.  Afterwards we will fellowship in the gardens to mingle with other volunteers, take in this beautiful weather, and take in the beauty of the garden.   🌱🍴🥃

Thank you to Ms. Justine and Ms. Hannah Trent for their contributions to this space and  their work in the community.

Our condolences to the OCGS family for the recent loss of your feathered friends. We look forward to bringing some cheer and support this weekend. 

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Bike and Brunch Tours is a business that believes in service, support, and leveraging our resources to serve the communities centered during bike tours. Tours center the history, culture, and legacy of historical black communities. This includes murals, business, community organizations, and of course brunch! 

Find the link for bike tour dates and Volunteer Days in our Instagram account bio link or bit.ly/ToursAndDates
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09/25/2021

We are egg-cited about Fall!

Weekly -> Bike Tours
Find us in Baltimore, Richmond, and Charlotte.

Monthly -> Volunteer Day, with brunch, brews and vino too.. This month, in the garden!

Stay posted for the return of
->Dish and Diaspora,
->Maintenance and Mingle, and
-> More!

Link in Bio.

09/25/2021

Thirsty? Join us for brunch!
bit.ly/ToursAndDates

Baltimore is the home to this beautiful mural. See it on the next Bike and Brunch Tour this Sunday. The forecast calls for sunny skies.  

---- Water Rights ----
Many First Nations persons are facing daily challenges just to access safe water for drinking and hygiene.

"More than 2 million people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico don't have access to running water and basic indoor plumbing." -Nicole Acevedo

"Pipelines threaten the safety of water in Black, brown, and low-income communities.  Even when these communities say no, the fossil fuel industry persists.

Union Hill, Virginia – a community settled by formerly enslaved people after the civil war on farm land they had once tilled – stood in the way. Residents fought against a planned compressor station meant to help the gas move through the pipeline, arguing that because Union Hill is a historic Black community, the resulting air pollution would be an environmental injustice. 

The fight against the Atlantic Coast pipeline is a familiar story now playing out around the country as gas companies expand web of pipelines across what are mostly black and brown communities." - Ben Paviour for VPM and Abi Cole for Floodlight in conjunction with Open Society Foundation 

"Race is the strongest predictor of water and sanitation access." -Dig Deep
---

See more in our IG story. Comment below or send a DM to share organizations and resources to advocate for access to clean water.

Mural:
Model: Donnell Blaylock Jr

09/25/2021

We see you! We appreciate you.
Thank you to those blazing the trail, advocating, and innovating to create spaces and resources that help us all enjoy the ride.

Photo:
#365

09/25/2021

"A change in who we are and what we are." 

Earlier this year Virginia approved legislation as a public health emergency. Today a long flight to remove the Robert E. Lee statue ended with its removal.

So much of the genetic fabric of racism sits in Virginia. From Jamestown, to the Massive Resistance response to the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, to the events of 2017 in Charlottesville. Despite claims to the contrary, the General Robert E. Lee statue long represented a thread in this fabric to many.

This  statue was erected in 1890.  Like most confederate statues in the south this was well after the end of the Civil War. These monuments were a response to progress made during and post the Reconstruction period to change memories of the Civil War and as a form of intimidation. 

During the Reconstruction Era the number of African- American office holders rose from 0 to 15 percent.* This is a larger proportion than in 1990". 

Some say "let you haters be your motivators".  Kehinde Wiley did just that. "Rumors of War" is a direct challenge to the many confederate monuments, specifically Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart’s now removed statue.  His sculptures like his paintings challenge society's image of black men.    

The future is coming and we see images of you, the fullness and richness of you and all you bring to bear there.  Monuments call forth a monumental response.  What say you?

 

09/22/2021