Community Ambassadors: Women of Visions

Who is Women of Visions, Inc and how long have they been involved with POGOH?

My name is Cynthia Kenderson. I go by the art name #IamCynt, and I am the president of Women of Visions. We are the largest and oldest women's black collective of visual artists in the United States. We've existed for over 40 years. The organization supports the community through exhibitions, educations, mentorship, and profession development.

This is our first year as POGOH Community Ambassadors and it's been awesome.

How does being a Community Ambassador help your organization achieve its goals?

As an artist, you express yourself in various mediums from film to canvas to fiber. One of our goals is to be expressive, to have our voice. POGOH Bikes, for me, is a way of creating, a way of expressing ourselves through how we transport. And so our goal is to be expressive, to be part of the community. So that's helping us express our goal.

2024.06.01 Community Ride Observatory Hill web (48 of 63)

2024.06.01 Community Ride Observatory Hill web (36 of 63)

How do you think the Community Ambassadors can help break down barriers to bicycling in Pittsburgh?

Being a community ambassador is helping break down barriers, especially as an African American. Being able to see other African American artists active in the community, at OpenStreetsPGH, and seeing us on bikes is how we can bring visibility to biking in Pittsburgh.

What do you think the Pittsburgh bicycling community has been missing?

I think the Pittsburgh bike community has been missing communication. And when I say that I mean a lot of people, even though they pass these stations, they don't know how to be a part of it. A lot of people see me on the bikes. I ride all through Pittsburgh. It is my number one mode of transportation, second is Uber, and by choice. People see me on the bike and they start asking me questions. "Hey, how can I be a part of that?" And so I tell them about the various ways, like the Mobility Justice Membership program or even the the full package. I let them know how economical for me and for them.