TRANSFORMING TRANSPORTATION

Zeitgeist is embarking on a transforming transportation journey to connect, educate, and advocate around barriers that persist in our transportation networks. Our mission is to address historic inequities in our transportation infrastructure, structures, and cultures by working creatively with diverse regional coalitions in leveraging change, and by centering those most impacted in visioning the solutions. Our aim is a regional transportation network that’s fully responsive to the needs of all our community members, connecting people to all the resources they need to thrive.

“When people live at the intersection of multiple vectors of oppression, unfettered access to public space and unfettered mobility are not guaranteed, regardless of street design. Racism, sexism, classism, able-ism, xenophobia, homophobia, constraints imposed upon gender-non-conforming folks, and insecurity in the public space resulting from historic disenfranchisement can make it hostile to many. Yet this has seldom been the starting point for envisioning more sustainable transportation. It should be.” Untokening Mobility

2024 DOC & TALK SERIES

A VOICE FOR THE WILD

MARCH 28 | 6:00PM
This Doc & Talk features a post-show panel with BIPOC Outdoors Twin Ports and BIPOC Outdoors Twin Cities. Join us for an important conversation and learning experience about gender and racial inclusion in the outdoors!

CORY MARIA DACK

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CORY MARIA DACK

An Indigenous Latina who was born in Ecuador and raised in Northern Minnesota, Cory Maria Dack (she/her/ella) canoed the entire Mississippi River source to sea during the winter months of 2022-2023. Her journey highlighted the need to bridge equity gaps in the outdoors for women broadly, and women of color specifically, as well as for immigrants, fat bodied people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, economically disadvantaged people, and other demographics that are underrepresented on the water and in the outdoors. Cory has been guiding canoe trips in the BWCA since 2007 and has spent the last few years leading eco-tourism & adventure trips through Costa Rica, Patagonia, Belize, Guatemala, and Ecuador. She also runs as a Street Medic, supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the Twin Cities and supporting our Native American leaders fighting for Environmental Justice on the Mississippi River and beyond. She sees Social Justice and Environmental Justice as inextricably tied to one another and brings that lens with her to all that she does.

FAVIOLA RAMIREZ

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FAVIOLA RAMIREZ

Faviola (“Favi”) Ramirez devotes physical and spiritual movement to full freedom for the past, present, and future generations of Black, Indigenous, People of color. With the Nichiren Buddhist & Zapatista principles deep in heart, Favi organizes for BIPOC to have the opportunity to explore and nourish their relationships with Mother Earth. Favi says, “As the great-great-granddaughter of revolutionary farmers in rural Puebla, Mexico I am truly honored to live out their wildest dreams. Recent generations before me have dedicated their entire body movements–sweat and blood–to physical labor under a colonizer for the sake of survival. Long story short, the cycle of capitalistic physical abuse stopped with me. When I sweat, it is for the love of my community–from miles of a bike ride to attend my friends’ dance workshop in a neighboring city or to hours of a hike alongside the frosty river. As the first generation to be born outside my motherland, I broke the curse and actively do not break a sweat to make my income. My identity has little to do with how I make my income and everything to do with how I live my life.”

SAM ARMACOST

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SAM ARMACOST

Sam Armacost (she/her) has worked as a canoe guide and program coordinator/facilitator in various capacities for over a decade. After canoeing the length of the Mississippi River with her father in 2021, she decided to move to its headwaters state (Minnesota) to find ways to make paddling, environmental stewardship, and racial justice the focal points of her life and work. She is passionate about increasing representation and opportunities in the outdoors for marginalized communities and channels that into her work leading the BIPOC Outdoor Twin Ports group in the Duluth/Superior region.

UPCOMING DOC & TALKS

ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY DOC & TALK SERIES

Follow the history of transportation in this country, from buses and bikes to super highways and self-driving cars, as we examine the barriers that persist in our transportation networks. The Transportation Equity Doc & Talk Series includes monthly (generally the fourth Thursday of the month) screenings of transportation documentaries followed by community conversations with speakers from the Twin Ports advancing transportation equity through their work.

Need help getting to Transportation Equity events? Contact americorps@zeitgeistarts.com or 218-336-1370.

The Transportation Equity We Bike series of free events, created in partnership with Continental Ski & Bike, aims to celebrate, welcome, and empower members of historically marginalized communities within cycling. Designed with low-income, BIPOC, youth, disabled, women, and gender-nonconforming people in mind, We Bike hopes to dismantle barriers to access and pave the way for a more diverse and vibrant cycling community across the Twin Ports region by providing essential bicycling education, maintenance resources, and enriching group rides.

Zeitgeist and Continental Ski & Bike share a commitment to fostering inclusivity and accessibility in cycling to support a healthier, happier, and more equitable society. Everyone should be able to bike safely and enjoyably! Join us as we pedal towards a future where we all can bike with comfort and confidence.

Gender-Inclusive Bike Shop Night
Friday, March 29, 4pm at Continental Ski & Bike (1305 E 1st St, Duluth)
Come to a free open shop night at Continental Ski & Bike to learn basic bike mechanics and work on your bike in a safe queer peer environment. Free lube for your tube! For women, trans, femme, non-binary, Two-Spirit, and gender-expansive folks with all levels of experience. BYOB: bring your own bike and/or buddy.
By Youth For Youth Bike Check Basics: Free Workshop for Kids + Teens!
Friday, April 26, 3pm at the Duluth Public Library Downtown Branch (520 W. Superior St, Duluth)
Come learn bike check basics from kids + teens just like you! Learn how to: fix a flat, lubricate your chain, align your brakes, set your seat, and more. For youth with all levels of experience. Free pizza! Join a family slow roll to Continental’s Bike Swap Preview Party following the workshop.

HELP TRANSFORM TRANSPORTATION!

Learn about local transportation projects in the works along with community groups working on transportation efforts.

Help shape conversations to center historically-marginalized populations in our region’s transportation plans.

Become a champion of transportation equity in our region by getting involved in one or more grassroots efforts.

TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

Turning a former highway into a great place for people
Adding a multimodal transportation lane to an interstate highway
Reestablishing a central artery as “main street” with attractive, safe, and walkable designs
Re-envisioning current and future transportation needs to ensure safety, mobility, resiliency, and access for all modes of travel
Revitalization of a downtown corridor
Redefining an industrial corridor as a connected, safe place for all

PAST DOC & TALKS

STRAIGHT LINE CRAZY

The filmed play starring Ralph Fiennes as Robert Moses that delves into Moses’s questionable legacy and enduring impact on New York City, particularly at the expense of people of color living in the way of his projects. Read “Reflections from Straight Line Crazy” from our blog!

TAKEN FOR A RIDE

THE U.S. HISTORY OF THE ASSAULT ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE LAST CENTURY

A documentary about how the American auto industry engineered the demise of city public-transit systems. This Doc & Talk included a post-show presentation by the Duluth Transit Authority on the Better Bus Blueprint and the conditions, needs, and opportunities of public transit in the Twin Ports.

THE GANG OF 19

A documentary about the brave Coloradans that challenged the status quo to advocate for the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This Doc & Talk included a post-show panel on accessibility with Arc NorthlandDuluth Aging Support, the Duluth Commission on Accessibility, and Lighthouse Center for Vital Living.

ROGER AND ME

The classic 1989 documentary by Michael Moore exploring the regional impact of General Motors closing several auto plants in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. This Doc & Talk included a post-show panel with the Minnesota Nurses Association and the Twin Ports Democratic Socialists of America about labor challenges and opportunities in our transportation networks. Read “Comments on Transportation Equity from Carl Sack” from our blog!

THE ENGINE INSIDE

A film telling the stories of six everyday people from all over the globe who reveal the unique power of the bicycle to change lives and build a better world. This Doc & Talk included a panel with Northland Adaptive Recreation and The Bike Cave about bike accessibility. Read “A Week Without Driving: Reflections from Duluth City Counselor Gary Anderson” from our blog!

BIKING WHILE BLACK

A documentary film centering the daily experiences that Black lives encounter while bicycling. The film focuses on Los Angeles and speaks to wider issues of transportation safety and institutional racism. This Doc & Talk included an in-person talk-back with Director Yolanda Davis-Overstreet about mobility justice. Read “Duluth’s Mobility Justice Leaders” from our blog!

LAND OF STORIES

A documentary film about the legacy of Indian boarding schools with excerpts from the shadow puppet performance Land of Stories that weaves together Thomas D. Peacock’s book The Wolf’s Trail & Sharon Doolittle Shuck’s book Grandfather’s Blood Memories and Unbroken Spirit. This Doc & Talk included a post-show panel about the connections between Indian boarding schools, transportation, and MMIR (Missing Murdered Indigenous Relatives) with Safe Haven Shelter & Resource Center and the MN MMIR Office.

ADVICE FOR GIRLS

This Doc & Talk includes a post-show panel on gender equity in outdoor recreation with Madison Atterbury, Megan Kress, Bobbie Larson, Lindsey Lee, and Megan McMahon; moderated by Alexandera Houchin. Hosted in partnership with Continental Ski & Bike.

FREE TO RIDE

Free To Ride is the story of the relentless spirit of community leaders from across Dayton, Ohio who overcame a suburban contingent fearfully opposed to the expansion of public transit along a commercial corridor, and the system of checks and balances that allowed justice and reason to prevail. 

THE HUMAN SCALE

Half of the human population lives in urban areas. By 2050, this will increase to 80%. Life in a megacity is both enchanting and problematic. Today we face peak oil, climate change, loneliness, and severe health issues due to our way of life. But why? The Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl has studied human behavior in cities through four decades. He has documented how modern cities repel human interaction and argues that we can build cities in a way, which takes human needs for inclusion and intimacy into account. ‘The Human Scale’ meets thinkers, architects, and urban planners across the globe. It questions our assumptions about modernity, exploring what happens when we put people at the center of our planning.

TRANSPORTATION EQUITY BLOG

I-35 (image from the Duluth Waterfront Collective)
Building at the Human Scale / Reversing Redlining
I-35 (image from the Duluth Waterfront Collective) Karl Schuettler, Duluth economic development advisor says the legacy of redlining in Duluth endures. “Every one of the neighborhoods given a description about immigrants or African-Americans in the 1930s remains...
Duluth’s Mobility Justice Leaders
(paintings from left to right by Sylvia Houle and Micheal Matthews) In her new companion book to Biking While Black called Reimagine: A Roadmap to Justice and Joy (what she calls “the Green Book on steroids”), filmmaker and mobility justice activist Yolanda...
A Week Without Driving: Reflections from Duluth City Councilor Gary Anderson
My Week Without Driving experience was really impactful for me. First off, the organizing around the event inspired me to do something I've said I wanted to do for at least 5 years – I got on an eBike for the very first time! And, not just one bike but I got to try...
Comments on Transportation Equity from Carl Sack
Michael Moore’s film Roger & Me shows the harsh truth about the demolition of living standards that the American working class was subjected to during the retrenchment of global capital in the 1980s and 90s. This was a time when industrial production had saturated...
Reflections from Straight Line Crazy
We kicked off our Transportation Equity Doc & Talk series in May with the filmed play Straight Line Crazy about the life and legacy of Robert Moses. During our community conversation, we asked a few questions about how issues in the film reflected those in our...

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