Starting on the East Coast: Listening First, A Humanitarian Journey Through Biker Communities

It’s been an incredible journey, and definitely an experience full of learning. I started in Virginia, made my way south, then traveled into the central part of the country, back to the central East Coast, and now up north into New York. Navigating all these regions to connect with bikers has shown just how unique every area truly is. Each place has its own character, its own story, and its own way of life.

Getting Lost on Purpose

I start by slowly getting to know the area. I get lost on purpose and drive around. I learn the roads and actively observe how they work—where they connect, what routes bikers prefer, and how people move through the region. I use social media as a tool to reach out, learn, and start building a foundation of understanding.

Next comes slowly meeting bikers themselves. Usually, I need just one person to help me at first. I take the time to build respect with that biker, and over time, I’m gradually introduced to more people in the community. This doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time—sometimes a long time—and that’s okay. This process is a life process, and I approach every place I go the same way.

When I was in North Carolina near Greenville, I spent more time getting to know the community itself rather than just the biker community. That period was also about focusing on myself and healing. Sometimes in this journey we have to pause and still work on it, but focus on healing and get back to it. Now, I am back to it. It is a slow process, and it takes a bit to get things down because I also have to take care of my family, and myself . This organization would not be here if I am not here right now. We are not at the point where I can hand things off fully. We are getting there; that is exciting.

Learning Local Dynamics

I am in New York now. Let me share a bit about my crazy process. In New York, we are starting out by getting to know the areas where the locals truly are. One thing I’ve noticed is how many people from the city are moving out to the country, and I’m listening closely to understand how this shift affects the motorcycle shops, the small businesses, and the community overall—from winter into summer. How do the clubs work together on all sets to how businesses that are owned by clubs to just average bikers work and need help when it comes to anything and everything. It’s the same thing I focus on everywhere I go: observing, learning, and listening. (Listening to understand. Not to respond)

Just because I leave an area doesn’t mean I leave it behind. I’m still there in spirit, with my ear to the ground and my eyes open. Bikers call me to talk about the riding areas they’re in and share how their communities work and change over time.

We have to take time to understand the region—the roads that connect towns, cities, and rural communities—and how the history of each area shapes the people who live there. Research is essential before you ever get involved. Without it, you risk projecting your own perceptions onto a place instead of respecting what was here long before you arrived.

Observation and Human Connection

As you can tell, it’s a process to truly understand an area. I’m not here to change anything, ruin it, or impose my own viewpoints. If the time comes when people ask for my perspective, I will always be sure to take in everyone’s views first. Only then will I use the humanitarian part of my mind—and my heart—to help figure things out.

Being in New York, I had to learn the dynamics of how New Yorkers—across the whole state, not just the city—connect, communicate, and build community. What impacts them? What brings them together? (Remember, this is in every area I go into around the United States. I am just physically in New York right now)

Bikers come from all walks of life. There isn’t just one “type” of biker. I’ve met bikers of different ethnicity, political beliefs, and ways of life, and it matters to acknowledge that.

In society’s eyes, a biker is often just a “look.” But after years of actively listening and trying to understand, I’ve learned that being a biker is not about the look. It’s about the heart. It’s about the ride—because the ride is part of their soul.

The Scientific Method and Small Acts of Kindness

When taking this into consideration, I have put a lot of community psychology, observation, and connection into everything I do. My goal is to make a difference slowly and thoughtfully. Nothing meaningful happens fast. If it happens quickly, to me it means I haven’t done the real work—and it won’t have the kind of lasting, rippling impact that truly supports a community.

I still use the hypothesis method before setting goals and starting projects. I rely on the scientific method framework to help narrow down the agenda and keep the mission focused on what truly matters.

Right now, it’s as simple—and as important—as waving at locals, being involved, talking to each person, and being friendly (because I am). I pray it helps.

Part of that process is treating bikers to dinner, or a coffee, or lunch. Sitting down with the old-school mechanic to really get to know them. Sitting down with individuals in club life to just an average rider...it may even include the family as well. Researching each town—not just how they vote, but how they connect, and even how they sometimes ostracize certain people or ideas. Or if they do not, "how do they get along?" Those harder topics have to be addressed if we want to understand and find ways to help.

It all matters—whether it’s sharing flyers, organizing events, helping bikers get there, or figuring out how to support the local community in meaningful ways.

The Questions I Keep Asking

When we go into a town, I ask: How does this affect the police? How does local law enforcement work with bikers in this area? I have to learn how to get lost on the roads, how to plan a ride, and which roads to take. (That is just 1 of many types of questions I ask. These are the questions...the odd questions that may not make sense, but to building a humanitarian organization it does).

There are so many dirt roads in the rural parts of the East Coast, and so many secret ways to get to places faster. I think about how a biker experiences that. How do they handle the snow? What do they wear? What are the legal and illegal helmet laws? What about traffic stops?

In New York, we’re dealing with hills that look like mountains to me. I’m truly not used to them. If a biker comes here from out of town, how do they handle it? How do they learn to ride in these conditions and keep themselves safe?

These are the questions I ask myself constantly as I build up what we do. No question, observation, or research is to small, or to big. It is important of the "how I do things" and "when I figure it out". I have realized in my journey of building this it has helped bikers that are trying to connect out, and that is the important thing. Nothing is off the table in trying to find humanity, and no questions are dumb. We will make ourselves look weird, and ignorant at times. In learning we all start out as ignorant. Humbling vibes is what I am expressing.

The Heart of the Mission

I truly believe that the actions we take can inspire others to make that same human difference. Again, this isn’t about me. It’s about the larger picture: not conforming, but supporting. Not judging, but uniting. Helping, empathizing, and actively listening so we can see each other as human.

My end goal is for the East Coast to be connected by roads—and by understanding. To educate bikers as they travel in and around each area so they can support the places that matter to the communities we visit.

How do we support that local farmer? How do we support the mom-and-pop store? That is where the heart of this mission lives. How do we help have locals see bikers on the road? How we unite connection to help stop profiling? Many more questions.

This work isn’t about me personally, or any of the board members. It’s about the community as a whole. We are a humanitarian organization dedicated to bikers, and our mission is to listen first, understand deeply, and support authentically.