Noelle's 2024 NOLA to Angola Fundraiser
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
Nola to AngolaI'm biking NOLA to Angola to help keep families connected with their incarcerated loved ones!
$370
raised by 7 people
$300 goal
Update #2
Whew! I did a 34 mile ride on September 22. We went down the 40 Arpent trail and up the levee in Arabi. It was so beautiful, we biked through areas I have never seen and stopped at some wonderful spots. 34 miles is a long ride, it was an eye-opening experience and showed me where I was and wasn't prepared. I am excited to do it better on October 18 with N2A!
NOLA to Angola is an annual solidarity bicycle ride fundraiser that supports the efforts of organizations working to mitigate and reverse the impacts of the U.S. prison system. Biking each mile in solidarity with families who travel long distances to connect with their incarcerated loved ones, the ride educates people about the ways in which mass incarceration works in tandem with other systems of oppression, such as poverty and white supremacy, to harm members of our communities.
All funds raised will go to the Cornerstone Builders’ Bus Project, which provides free monthly transportation from New Orleans and Shreveport for folks to visit loved ones incarcerated in Louisiana prisons.
On October 18th, I am cycling 35 miles with NOLA to Angola. This is my first time participating in a long-distance group bike ride. I feel called to raise awareness for the mass incarceration at Angola especially. Long before I was born, my father worked at Angola. He regaled my brother and I with stories of his time helping to build the Angola Rodeo arena. This institution that he viewed so positively has such a massive negative impact on countless individuals - not only those incarcerated but their families as well. My dad died in May 2023. We used to bike together. As a way to celebrate his (complicated and problematic, yet still dear) memory, I am riding in solidarity with the families of people who are far from them but still reachable. Please join me in support.
I'd like to share more information from Brooke @brookiecita, a participant riding for their second year:
" Louisiana’s criminal justice system is widely regarded as one of the most broken and brutal in existence and Angola is the biggest and the baddest- the largest maximum security prison in the country with the highest incarceration rates on the planet. I recommend watching Ava Duvernay’s the 13th Amendment or reading the End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale to learn more about these violent and unjust systems and how they target disproportionately target Black Americans and tear apart families at unfathomable rates. Thank you for supporting me on this journey. Here’s some resources I’ve gathered if you want to learn more:
https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/404305/angola-prison-documentary/
https://64parishes.org/entry/louisiana-state-penitentiary-at-angola
https://www.propublica.org/article/louisiana-plan-to-imprison-people-longer-imperils-sickest-inmates "