I am a huge fan of using un-orthodox methods of engaging people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds and you can imagine how excited I was when I recently learnt about an awesome group of people who are encouraging British Columbians to connect with people outside through culture through bycycling. They have been cycling for diversity for the last three years and I truly hope they will do it this year.

When Ken Herar was growing up in Mission, his mother encouraged him to play not only with kids in his own South Asian community but with those from all ethnic backgrounds.
Now, when he walks down the streets of Abbotsford where he works, his head turns and he does a double take if he sees a white person walking with a South Asian. He senses the cultural divides have grown into vast chasms since his childhood.
The breaking point came for the Safeway clerk in 2011 when he was told he couldn’t attend a Christmas party in Surrey because of his race, and he decided he had to take action.
Herar founded Cycling4Diversity, a group that is putting a positive spin on ethnic harmony. Cycling seemed to be a good fit because it is wholesome, fun and has everyone propelling forward, he said. It is also a practical means of getting around, which became necessary in May when the group of about a dozen volunteer cyclists of mixed ethnicities travelled from Victoria to Abbotsford, visiting 14 cities and 27 schools to spread the gospel of inclusiveness.

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