The Civil Bikes Experience: Exploring Atlanta's History, Art, and Culture

Social entrepreneur and bicycling advocate Nedra Deadwyler is a trailblazer, literally. When Deadwyler isn't traveling throughout the state of Georgia promoting bicycle safety and community advocacy, she can be found traversing through the streets of Atlanta on a mission to preserve the city's histories and cultural richness. As an Atlanta native, Nedra's love for her hometown is steeped in a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for everything the city has been, represented, and achieved. Such a love fuels Deadwyler's commitment to remember, rediscover, and honor Atlanta's civil rights history, heroes, and their legacies.

Deadwyler's love of community, cycling, and all things Atlanta serves as both inspiration and the foundation for Civil Bikes, which curates unique walking and cycle tours of Atlanta. The Civil Bikes experience takes participants on a journey into Atlanta's history and culture. Nedra invites tourists and residents to experience the city and feel our interconnectedness with the each other and our surroundings.

Civil Bikes tours highlight Atlanta's history, art, and culture and explores the impact of the contributions of civil rights icons and community leaders in the freedom struggle. Deadwyler aims to bring the underrepresented narratives of marginalized communities into the center. Participants encounter Atlanta's complex history from civil war battles to the civil rights movement as they venture through the city. The Civil Bikes experience intersects race, space, landscape, and time in an effort to build awareness, foster community, share understanding, and promote engagement. Through Civil Bikes, Deadwyler provides important advocacy work and cultural production during a time when our rapidly changing and demographically diverse society is in desperate need.

Nedra has been diligently working to increase Civil Bikes footprint through social outreach and community engagement. Beyond tours, Civil Bikes actively collaborates with community partners, artists, and grassroots organizations to bring lectures, book clubs, and cultural events to the city. Social enterprises, community advocates, non-profit organizations, and artists are a vital resources in the creation of more equitable societies. As a part of Atlanta's eco-system, Deadwyler is working to bridge connectedness and make everyone visible, which is why I was excited to create a visual narrative designed to amplify the work Civil Bikes performs for the community.

"The Civil Bikes Experience" takes viewers on a rhythmic journey into Atlanta history, art, and culture through the lens of the social enterprises' walking and cycling tours. Audiences are transported to many of the city's historical districts and monuments as Deadwyler and her team guides groups through the history, diverse narratives, and cultural richness that gives Atlanta its distinctive vibe and distinguished position as a thriving southern metropolis. Everyone should see and feel the city through a Civil Bikes experience. Head over to the Civil Bikes website to learn more about their tours and make sure to follow them @civilbikes on instagram and facebook. In the meantime, you can embark on an abbreviated journey with "The Civil Bikes Experience."