When I first heard about Pedal the Pacific, I don't know that I could’ve even defined sex trafficking. It was my sophomore year of college and my boss at my internship was telling me about the bicycle wheel tattoo on her arm. Iggy Andrews (PTP 23) was one of the first people to engage in a conversation with me about sex trafficking while she told me why she had biked 1,700 miles the summer before. I had no idea that this conversation would be the foundation for my own journey with Pedal the Pacific that would start just two years later. Iggy, to me, was the essence of what Pedal is– a conversation starter.
Before Pedal, many of the ideas I had about sex trafficking kept me in the dark. I thought that this problem mostly happened abroad and always involved kidnapping of young girls by strangers. While I had already been exposed to the fact that people were being sold and exploited for sex, I had no idea just how rampant, how formidable, and how obvious sex trafficking is in our communities.
A big part of my collegiate studies has focused on social action and justice. In class, I had the opportunity to learn about life’s biggest, most significant challenges for a variety of individuals and communities. Although we never talked about victims of sex trafficking specifically, the issues that I have spent four years studying are relevant and a necessary part of the conversation – poverty, immigration, sexual/ gender identity, homelessness, substance abuse, and lack of access to resources. This realization shifted as it made the cause feel more urgent, more human, and like it was something I was able to help.
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Pedal the Pacific has taught me a lot about responsibility and ownership. Many days, it’s responsibility for my training rides or my fundraising goals. While sometimes it’s more personal and I’m processing some of my own inattention and misunderstanding. I ride because there is so much more that I need to learn. There are survivors to meet, stories to hear, and hardships to acknowledge. The opportunity to learn, while challenging, makes us better advocates, friends, community members, and humans.
I am forever grateful that Iggy was bold enough to tell me “why I ride” because it gave me Pedal and it opened my eyes to the injustice that is happening in front of us. My hope is that the process of learning and listening continues beyond this summer until all people are free.
I ride because there is so much more that I need to learn. There are survivors to meet, stories to hear, and hardships to acknowledge. The opportunity to learn, while challenging, makes us better advocates, friends, community members, and humans.
