AAPI women from Queens organize solidarity bike ride against racist violence

Images courtesy of helen ho

By David Brand

A group of Asian American women from Queens are taking to the streets Saturday for a solidarity bike ride against racist violence.

The Ride For Justice, organized by Biking Public Project co-founder Helen Ho and city council candidates Julie Won and Carolyn Tran, will begin at Queensbridge Park at 2 p.m. Saturday and traverse bike lanes throughout the borough.

Ho said it was important to center Asian American and Pacific Islander women because group rides are typically organized by men, and because women have been particularly targeted by anti-Asian attackers.

“It’s a ride that’s open to everyone but we wanted to create one led and organized by AAPI women because we noticed that, even though we all enjoy taking bike rides, all the bike rides are organized by men right now,” Ho said. “We thought about it in light of everything that has happened in the past year-plus and extremely magnified starting in Atlanta last month.”

A gunman targeted women of Asian descent working at spas in and around Atlanta, killing eight people on March 16. The mass shootings took place amid a nationwide spike in anti-Asian violence. In Queens and throughout New York City, attackers have targeted Asian women, including middle-aged and older adults.

Reported hate crimes against AAPI New Yorkers surged by more than 700 percent in New York City last year, according to NYPD data. Unreported offenses have also soared, and thousands of cases of harassment against older AAPI New Yorkers go uncounted in official hate crime data, THE CITY and Marshall Project reported Tuesday.

Ho said the cyclists will follow a surprise route before ending up in an undisclosed neighborhood with several restaurants owned by AAPI New Yorkers.

“The route is secret but it is going to end in a great food neighborhood where you can support many AAPI-owned businesses,” she said.

The ride will likely last four to five hours depending on the size of the group. Ho said several people have reached out asking about donations. She encouraged people to send her a direct message on Twitter, where she is @helenshirley.