Steve 's 2017 NOLA to Angola Fundraising

We're back in New Orleans after the ride, which was a great weekend of thoughtful and emotional conversations, learning about the struggles of various communities impacted by prisons and environmental racism and other tragic histories, and many miles of biking.  This year's ride has already raised more than fifty thousand dollars, which is far and away the most we've ever raised in a year.  As always, that was built up through donations small and large (and mostly small!), representing hundreds of people who've stepped forward to support this project, and more importantly the Cornerstone Builders bus program.  Leo Jackson, who runs Cornerstones, spoke to bike riders yesterday afternoon, at the church in West Feliciana parish where the ride ends,* reminding us that after seven years NOLA to Angola and Cornerstones have become more like family than just partners.  The bike ride, of course, wouldn't mean much without the support of the folks putting up the donations to support bus riders.  Ultimately, the bike ride seeks to highlight the distance people have to travel to see their loved ones, and it's your donations that carry the bus riders along that same journey.  So thank you, and please be on the lookout for a personal thank you from me (and maybe also an email asking for your mailing address, if I don't already have that).

In the meantime, one of this year's riders, Emily MacKenzie, made a short video about fundraising, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQUWd01eON0.  Over the course of the weekend, Emily videotaped many miles of the route, as well as speakers who shared their own stories with riders, and so hopefully we'll be able to share some of that as well.  Speakers this year included Darin Acosta (whose family left Norco, Louisiana after the massive 1988 explosion at Shell Oil; http://darinacosta.com/2016/05/05/norco-shell-explosion-1988/) and Dolfinette Martin from Voice of the Experienced (VOTE; http://www.vote-nola.org/dolfinette-martin-bio.html).  

*As of a few years ago, we're no longer able to actually ride bikes into Angola Prison: prison officials told us that they were concerned about bikes clogging up the roads inside the prison, which were already typically at a near standstill due to rodeo traffic.  As a result, we ride to within two miles of the front gate, and any rider interested in actually going in to see the craft fair/rodeo can then take a van from the church to the prison.  For anyone who wants to learn more about the rodeo and the complicated politics thereof, I recommend the book God of the Rodeo by Daniel Berger (http://danielbergner.com/god-of-the-rodeo/) as a jumping-off point.  There are also numerous articles, documentaries, and books that touch on the rodeo and many other strange facts of life at Angola.  For instance, did you know there's a nine-hole golf course inside the prison, Prison View Golf Course?  New Orleans-based journalist Jules Bentley and photographer Beau Patrick Coulon can tell you more:  https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/vva9xx/golfing-with-the-guards-at-angola-penitentiary