(NEWARK, NJ) -- The City of Newark will join with other organizations to host the annual 18-mile Newark Bike Tour on Sunday, October 24, starting at 11:00am, at Mulberry Commons in downtown Newark, to raise awareness of domestic violence and funds for the Shani Baraka Women’s Center. The ride is FREE and open to the public, but advance registration is required to address crowd size and COVID-19 restrictions.

“Domestic violence is one of the most significant social and public health crises our society faces,” Mayor Baraka said. “The annual Newark Bike Tour will raise awareness of the need for action against this violence and encourage our residents to take that action, while also providing them with an opportunity to enjoy a pleasant and healthy bicycle ride in our neighborhoods.”

The ride will be held in two levels: a five-mile family loop circling through the Ironbound, followed by a 13-mile voluntary route that will take cyclists through many Newark neighborhoods and some of the city’s parks, including Weequahic and Branch Brook. The ride will return to Mulberry Commons at 2:00pm.

Online registration and further information are available here.

The tour is designed to show riders a variety of areas of the state’s largest city, and to demonstrate residents’ growing support for cycling as transportation and recreation that is healthful, safe, sustainable, environmentally friendly, and affordable. This year’s tour will also raise awareness for the Shani Baraka Women’s Resource Center and men’s health initiatives.

“Dick’s Sporting Goods is extremely proud to support Newark’s Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence Bike Event. We thank Newark for including us in this important cause and we truly hope these efforts, in concert with the Shani Baraka Women’s Resource Center, increase awareness and help put an end to domestic violence,” said Jeffrey Gold, Store Manager of Dick’s Sporting Goods’ East Hanover, New Jersey, location.

​The Mayor’s Book Club is donating the book, Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies to the first 100 registrants of the domestic violence bike ride for a later book study. The author, Resmaa Menakem, discusses the impact of racial, hіѕtоrіc, fаmіlіаl, and personal trauma, and teaches body-based рrасtісеѕ to overcome.

The City has joined with RBG Cyclist, Dick’s Sporting Goods, the Believe in Newark Foundation, Brick City Bike Collective, the Mayor’s Book Club, the Essex County Surrogate’s Court, Newark Beth Israel, the Newark Community Cycling Center, South Ward Promise Neighborhood, the Mayor’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, Bike 4 Life, Sisters United Bike Club, and other organizations to create this event.

At 31 years of age, Shani Isis Makeda Jones Baraka left an indelible mark on all who knew her. She was a teacher, an activist for the LGBTQ+ Community and Women’s Rights who also helped to lead the Malcolm X Shabazz High School Girls Basketball Team to its first Tournament of Champions Title. 

The Shani Baraka Women’s Resource Center was opened in 2017 to provide Newark women of all ages with a one-stop holistic resource center to provide comprehensive services to meet the needs of women and their families in crisis and transition. The center’s goal is to provide support, care, protection, and empowerment for women of all ages by the City of Newark and its partner agencies. 

This 12,000 square-foot building houses the Department of Public Safety Special Victims Unit and Domestic Violence Response Team at the center. Also included are walk-in services for mental health counseling, grief, trauma and loss support groups and individual counseling, employment and training counseling and referrals, and support services from the Newark LBGTQ Commission. Community partners provide services such as Wynona’s House child abuse and neglect programs; SAVE of Essex County Rape Crisis Center; RZ The Flags HIV testing and counseling; the NJ Association of Black Psychologists; Planned Parenthood, and Mind Over Matter youth mentoring program with 1980s Hip Hop Icon Roxanne Shante. The center also houses a pain management specialist from Mt. Prospect Health Center that provides chiropractic and stress relief services, and FREE health screenings for residents.