Who we are

The John Brown Riders was established in 2020 to give a voice to the thousands of motorcycle riders who are tired of racism in our community.

In 2011 the ADL published a study, “Bigots on Bikes: The Growing Links between White Supremacists and Biker Gangs” Which said,

Overlaps between the outlaw biker subculture and the white supremacist subculture make it easier for members of both movements to interact with each other and facilitate the forming of connections between them. These overlaps include similar symbols and language, as well as shared practices.

https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/ADL_CR_Bigots_on_Bikes_online.pdf

We are tired of racist voices dominating our broader community. We are tired of confederate flags and other racist symbolism in shops, at shows and at rallies. We are tired of the influence of white supremacy in our community and want a community that is inclusive of all people. We want a space that is welcome to Black people, Latinx and Asian people, and is inclusive of people of all genders and sexual orientations.

This is not a club, though that might be an avenue to explore in the future, this is a national movement to end racism in motorcycle culture.

Who Was John Brown

John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was a leading figure in the abolitionist movement in the pre-Civil War United States. Unlike many anti-slavery activists, he was not a pacifist and believed in aggressive action against slaveholders and any government officials who enabled them. An entrepreneur who ran tannery and cattle trading businesses prior to the economic crisis of 1839, Brown became involved in the abolitionist movement following the brutal murder of Presbyterian minister and anti-slavery activist Elijah P. Lovejoy in 1837. He said at the time, “Here, before God, in the presence of these witnesses, from this time, I consecrate my life to the destruction of slavery!”

John Brown is most known for the raid on Harper’s Ferry. He was also a major player in the Underground Railroad.

John Brown was dissatisfied with the pacifism of the organized abolitionist movement: “These men are all talk. What we need is action—action!”

• https://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement/john-brown
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist)

What is Abolition Mean today?

In 2017 Patrisse Cullors wrote in The Guardian, “Abolitionists still have work to do in America”

She said,

Abolitionist resistance and resilience draws from a legacy of black-led anti-colonial struggle in the United States and throughout the Americas including places like Haiti, the first black republic founded on the principles of anti-colonialism and black liberation.

Black people and our allies fought for black liberation against slave societies and a slavery-based economy and in some cases, we won. Abolition sought to end slavery and white supremacy entirely and liberate black people as stolen people exploited on occupied lands.

However, abolition has yet to fully achieve a society and a world where black folks and our lives are recognized with equal value and where institutions have repaired the harm caused to our people.

The backlash to the abolition movement transformed slavery and its institutions. And, while we have seen some semblance of emancipation, we still live with the vestiges of slavery every day in this country.

The remnants of slavery are visible in the militarization of police, the expansion of the prison industrial complex, rampant Immigration and Custom Enforcement (Ice) raids and the Muslim travel ban in place in America today. They are reflected in the US invasions, occupation and war against communities of color domestically and around the world. 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/30/abolitionists-still-have-work-to-do-in-america

There is a modern day abolitionist movement. One calling for the end to all prisons, the end to policing, the end to capitalism, and the reinvestment into our communities.

Abolition must include investment into meaningful work, dignified housing, education, healthcare, and services for our communities.