Community Link: Riding for reparations – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Black Leaders Detroit is bringing its Ride for Equity to Indianapolis on June 14 as part of its mission to raise awareness and funds for African American entrepreneurs.
The Ride for Equity is a 377-mile bike ride that began in 2021, designed to raise money and awareness for the mission of Black Leaders Detroit. The organization, led by CEO Dwan Dandridge, provides financial support to entrepreneurs of African descent through grants and no-interest loans. Over the past five years, they have deployed over $4.8 million to support both nonprofit and for-profit sectors.
“We pretty much fund entrepreneurs of African descent,” Dandridge said. “We do that primarily through grants and no interest loans.”
The Ride for Equity initially started as a 377-mile journey from Detroit to Mackinac, leading up to the Michigan Mackinac Policy Conference. It serves as both a fundraiser and a platform to increase awareness about the economic disparities faced by African American communities.
The ride’s route from Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Wall Street in New York is symbolic for the historical wealth creation by black communities in places like Tulsa and Detroit, and the subsequent efforts to disrupt that wealth. The route also underscores the economic contributions of African Americans, particularly during the era of slave labor, which have not been adequately acknowledged or compensated since.
Dandridge emphasizes the importance of reparations, saying that the ride is a step towards addressing historical injustices and creating wealth within the African American community. “What we’re saying is we’re not going to wait for anybody to fix it. We will work towards fixing it ourselves,” he said.
Ride for Equity wants to connect with a million people willing to donate a dollar a week to support their cause, emphasizing the power of collective action in achieving economic equity.
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