Ride Organizer and School Principal Nichole Watson

This episode is a conversation with Prescott Elementary School Principal Nichole Watson. I first met Nichole in June 2020, during the height of the racial justice protests and just a few months into the Covid outbreak. I was on the https://bikeportland.org/2020/06/11/last-night-we-rode-together-thanks-to-black-girls-do-bike-316668 (Black Girls Do Bike Ride) and Nichole was one of the co-organizers of the event. When I first met Nichole at that ride we had  a great chat and I loved what she said about why it was so important for Black people — and especially Black women and especially "curvy" Black women as she described herself — to get outside and "take up space" on the street. I've talked to so many bike people over the years and I have sort of a radar for whether or not someone "gets it". Nichole definitely gets it. That's why I wasn't too surprised when several months after that ride in June 2020 she popped up again as the organizer of https://bikeportland.org/2020/10/05/bicycles-help-school-communities-stay-connected-during-the-pandemic-321397 (Prescott Pedal), a ride and community event she led as principal of Prescott Elementary School. When Watson and I spoke during that ride, she talked about cultivating a culture around bicycling at Prescott and the nearby Parkrose neighborhood and why she felt having the school community ride bikes together was such a vital part of her work. And that work has become even more relevant given that just over a week ago, https://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/23/portland-mayor-claims-victory-as-parkrose-residents-reel-from-unchecked-political-violence/ (violence between white supremacist groups and anti-fascist activists erupted in Parkrose). I asked Nichole about that violence and about why cycling is such a priority to her during a conversation we recorded from her desk at Prescott Elementary School. Thanks for listening. If you liked what you heard, please leave a review so others can find this podcast more easily. and make sure to subscribe so you don't  m