>> Elaine Glusac, The New York Times
Published: 27 Jan 2021 04:31 PM BdST
Updated: 27 Jan 2021 04:31 PM BdST
A group of bicyclists, including John Shackelford (second from left) who initiated the trip, cycles through rural Georgia, visiting places associated with Black history as they ride from Mobile, Ala, to Washington, DC. The New York Times
Every year, John Shackelford, 26, a bicycle messenger in New York City, takes what he calls a “tour,” or long-distance ride with friends. Following a summer of social unrest sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans at the hands of police, the 2020 tour, he decided, would travel roughly 1,100 miles from Mobile, Alabama, to Washington, D C, visiting places associated with Black history, including Civil Rights landmarks, history museums and memorials such as the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. The pandemic was an obstacle to visiting some sites, but not enough to hold back the ride.