An illuminated nighttime bike ride on Friday, and possibly a record-breaking cha cha slide dance event on Saturday, is what Melanin in Motion has planned for the community this weekend.

“When we started doing this experience called a ‘Glow Roll,’ we just found that adults have an amazing time, it’s more fun to dress your bike up and ride at sunset,” says event organizer Anthony Taylor.

The free “Glow Roll” event starts at 6 p.m. Friday with a bike ride around Midtown Greenway and ends with a community meal and music by KMOJ’s Q Bear.

Saturday’s sickle cell awareness event, “Ride Roll Rumba Rahda for Sickle Cell,” begins with the riders’ choice of a 40-mile bike ride at 8 a.m. or a conversationally paced ride at 9 a.m.

Zumba, yoga, dancing and a community meal are some of the other planned activities for the day, which ends at 12:30 p.m.

“We wanted to do a variety of things so that families and young people living with sickle cell that have a limited capacity can participate as well, and also set a progression and a goal to normalize movement in those communities,” Taylor said. “That idea of not dying from sickle cell, but living with sickle cell.”

Melanin in Motion focuses on connecting the BIPOC community to the outdoors, movement and well-being. Components of the “Slow Roll” bike rides include encouraging people to learn a new name, share a meal and take breaks during rides for educational talks led by Taylor.

“What slow roll does is place people in the geography that they live in already but because they’re on a bike they really have an experience of the changing neighborhoods,” Taylor said.

Looking ahead, Taylor said he is excited about the upcoming ride partnered with the Minneapolis Institute of Art, “The Housing is a Human Right edition” on Thursday Aug. 1, which highlights housing disparities and how they affect Minnesotans.

For more information and to sign up for events visit eventbrite.com/o/the-cultural-wellness-centermelanin-in-motion-32101604185.

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