大象传媒

From Muneera Pilgrim, cultural producer:听

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to partake in an event which turned out to be one of the most exhilarating days of my life. In the lead up, I knew it was going to be something big, yet I could not imagine the sense of accomplishment and community I would feel as a result. I woke up extra early and met my friends outside a coffee shop so we could find a cycle-friendly train route that would take us to Walthamstow Central in North London for the first Black Unity bike ride.听

While on the train the closer we got to our destination, the more cyclists piled on. There were bikes of all kinds, hybrids, road bikes, mountain bikes, bikes that seemed light as a feather, and bikes like mine which are more like a bench press. There were also people of all kinds, race, faith, economic background, shape, size and colour, the diversity was more than any advertising campaign for the latest dating app could buy. We got off the train and rode up to the meeting point to see hundreds more cyclists just like us.听

I saw my reflection in so many different faces, and because we were all on bikes, we could socially distance too. My cycling journey up until that point had been a pretty lonesome, one that made me even question if cycling was an inclusive sport at all, but there I was, surrounded by hundreds and then over a thousand people, travelling from Walthamstow to Brixton feeling invigorated and part of a whole. We were together, but each individual had their part to play, each of us had to push our pedals, power up inclines and avoid bumps and traffic to the best of our ability.听

Not long after the ride, I contemplated the words of Rabia Al Adawyyia听 8th century Sufi saint and poet, she said: 鈥淣o one lives outside the walls of this sacred place, existence. The holy water my soul needs is unity. Love opened my eye and I was cleansed by the purity of each individual form.鈥� It reminded me that even when we are by ourselves we are never alone, and our individual experiences and effort makes us better whole.