All month long we'll be meeting #WomenWhoBike in Portland as part of our Women's Bike Month campaign. Our goal for the month is to get more women biking by providing the resources and support they need to get started.
Name: Diana Rempe
Occupation: Street Librarian
Years in Portland:16
Type of riding you do most frequently: Commuting
How are you currently using bikes in Portland?
Our family doesn't own a car, so we use bikes almost exclusively to get around Portland. My work is also done by bike as I work for Street Books--we are a bicycle-powered library for folks living outside. We take our two amazing bike libraries and do 4 shifts in 7 places, bringing books and conversation to folks on the margins who might not be able to access the county library system because of structural barriers. So, I am out on a bike in Portland every day of the year.
Who is/was a woman that inspired you (to ride)?
My mother. My mom has always biked and always expected that I'd be right there with her. Even in Dallas, TX in the 1970s--hardly a bastion of bike friendliness--we rode all over the place. And my mom never stopped--from her retirement in southern Alabama she led bike rides with other retired folks and now, even as she struggles with Alzheimer's, she is still a daily rider.
What have you done, or what are you doing, to get more women on bikes?
Although this is not aimed solely at girls, the work I love most is with my youngest daughter, who's a fifth grader at Beach elementary in north Portland. Every Friday, rain or shine, we host the Friday bike club. We meet kids (and their parents) at a designated corner and all ride to school together. It normalizes all weather, all ages, all genders, all abilities, riding--and it is really fun!