Welcome to the Crowdsourcing Mornings segment! Every weekday morning, Geek Alabama talks about and features one crowdsourcing project from crowdsourcing sites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and others. The hope with Crowdsourcing Mornings is to feature and help a project be successful and reach its fundraising goal. Please enjoy today’s featured project!
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Ezy Ryders is a story that has not been told often enough that of the Black motorcycle club (or MC) set. Photographed over five years, Ezy Ryders tails New York City’s Black bikers to bike blessings, charity runs, bikini bike washes, and anniversary parties, highlighting the under-looked culture’s vices and victories. Ten riders share their personal experiences of the MC world, their narration weaving through the photographs.
The black and white film photographs pull the reader into a scene that’s usually off-limits to outsiders; one in which the riders find a bond that can be even deeper than blood, a community that will let them defy stereotypes and denounce societal expectations. And the interview text, edited as a conversation between the ten bikers, examines contentious issues like race, gender, and club politics, with brutal honesty. A long-time rider in the scene also contributes a “Biker’s Glossary” to clarify the culture’s terminology and traditions.
Your book pre-orders will allow us—author Cate Dingley & publisher The Artist Edition—to finish the book’s design and oversee printing at Narayana Press.
As I researched the history of Black MCs in America, I realized how little published documentation was out there. Even in pop culture, Black riders are rarely seen. From my conversations with riders of all ages, Black bikers feel underrepresented in the motorcycle culture, when in reality they have been around since the very beginning, their many contributions and innovations ignored or even stolen. Part of what pushed me to continue on with this project for so many years was the desire to re-frame the history, and to help cement the legacy of these riders and clubs. It’s for this reason that the riders welcomed me into their world. Ezy Ryders will be a tangible record that honors the past, while celebrating the present and future.
As of December 17th, this project has raised $10,500 of their $10,000 goal. This project has 1 day left to raise as much as it can. For a pledge of $35, you will get one book. For a pledge of $70, you will get two books. To learn more and to pledge money, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/catedingley/ezy-ryders-nycs-black-bikers?
