Xtracycle DE&I Meeting Notes

December 14th, 2020 Meeting Notes

– B-corp discussion.
– Currently there is a 5 month wait on getting B-Corp certification so we are still waiting on that.
– Conduct employee demographic survey and report on results.
– Make these demographics publicly accessible, i.e. on the careers and about us page
– Discussed the demographics survey: it will include age, location, gender identity and racial identity.
– Ensure the survey is anonymous so teammates feel free to share.
– How to get more UGC submissions to reflect real riders.
– Work to highlight the people we do know.
– We should partner more with organizations that are led by BIPOC.
– Partner with local orgs that help marginalized groups to partner on the mega rack and bags.

(There was a meeting on Nov. 2nd, 2020 but no notes were taken)

October 5th, 2020 Meeting Notes

Teammates in attendance: Kris (he/him), Jamie (he/him), Evan (he/him), Ashley (she/her)

– Long discussion on equity in pricing.
– How can we as a company make our products more financially accessible?
– Discussions about a discount program.
– How to create an internal conflict resolution system where employees who experience hurtful comments or behaviors within the company can feel safe, heard, and secure in sharing and resolving their issue.

(There was no September meeting due to scheduling conflicts.)

August 12th, 2020 Meeting Notes

Teammates in attendance: Kris (he/him), Jamie (he/him), Evan (he/him), Ashley (she/her)

– Discussion about inclusivity in the models and talent we hire.
– More work needs to be done to hire and pay BIPOC models
– Starting the planning process sooner can make this more efficient
– We should have a team member who is in charge of the production
– Ensure cash compensations is available (i.e. no “store credit” only)
– Be transparent in how much models are paid. Make sure this is outward facing so talent can see these numbers.
– We need to be more mindful in making shoots more fun and rewarding for the children who participate.
– How can we get the donation match program up and running?
– What orgs can we pick? Find ones that align with company values.
– Let’s start a list of organizations.
– How can we make our website more accessible? What can be done now? What can be done for future website updates?

July 2nd, 2020 Meeting Notes
In July’s DE&I Xtracycle Team meeting, we discussed the following ideas:

How can we be more inclusive and affirming to BIPOC in our hiring process?
– Continue to do internal work to make our company safe and affirming for BIPOC
– Make the hiring process more transparent
– Create a system to ensure job listings reach organizations that align with our anti-racist goals
– Add language to the current job listings that make our dedication to team mate safety, diversity and inclusion clear

Ideas for ways in which Xtracycle can unlearn racism internally:
– Sign the Cycling Industry Pledge with the WTF Bikexplorers
– Take anti-bias / anti-privilege training (i.e. with The Brown Bike Girl: https://thebrownbikegirl.com/services/)
– Create a blog post with anti-racism articles that will be continually updated
– Add anti-racism resource list to our linktr.ee
– Update company values to make sure language is reflective of our anti-racist stance
– What are the organizations we need to partner with to address the cycling infrastructure piece? Maybe we can donate product? I.e. Bike East Bay has a strong equity focus.
– At check-out, give the option to donate to local infrastructure. (Offer to match?)
– Donate to a different local or grassroots organization working for justice every month and partner with that org – post on social, blog post, etc. (and share story about why we are doing this)
– Create a master document of orgs and people we want to support.
– Start working on hiring BIPOC talent for next photoshoot.

June 9th, 2020

There is an urgent need to do more to dismantle institutional and systemic racism within ourselves, within society at large, & within our own cycling community. This racism is traumatic and it is denying Black communities of their dignity, their freedom, their lives.

Xtracycle is committing itself to listening, learning, growing & actively leveraging our privilege to help bring about the justice & equity that is long overdue. We have not done enough – we need to do more. Our silence this past week as we turned inward to reflect on our shortcomings in this fight for justice is one example of how we have failed Black communities & why we must do better moving forward.

We are dedicating ourselves to making tangible changes to help bring about the justice and equity that is urgently needed to protect & respect lives. We will be tapping into the countless resources that exist for those doing anti-racism work – books, documentaries, podcasts, anti-racism training, just to name a few – & we will ensure we financially compensate everyone involved in developing these resources that our education is benefiting from. We will be outlining our next steps and we will find a way to make those publicly accessible. We recognize this will be an ever evolving process & it is our intent to engage in it with all the collective potential we possess, while holding each other accountable for the work. If there is something you would like to see us bring into the fold of this critical work as a company in the cycling space, please let us know.

Xtracycle has made a donation to Black Lives Matter to support those fighting for justice. Individually, in our own communities, we are actively seeking ways to support local, Black-led organizations and we encourage you to do the same in your community, according to their need & your ability.

These are small first steps, long-overdue.

We say their names: Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. Philando Castile. Korryn Gaines. Pamela Turner. Tamir Rice. Oscar Grant. Shantel Davis. Atatiana Jefferson. Eric Garner. Sandra Bland. Alton Sterling. Freddie Gray. Michael Brown. Laquan McDonald. Trayvon Martin. Too many.