Event Recap: 40th Anniversary Celebration
November 7th, 2024
Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to our 40th Anniversary Celebration! This special evening brought together BNB alumni, co-founders, staff, board members, supporters, and volunteers for a night highlighting community and solidarity — honoring what is possible when people come together to work for a kind, just, and healthy world, one bike at a time.
BNB’s co-founders, Carl Kurz and Michael Repolgle, helped us start off the night, reflecting on why BNB was started and how relevant the work remains today. BNB was founded on resistance, organizing direct aid - in the form of bicycles - to health workers in Nicaragua, circumventing an embargo during the civil war. That work has greatly expanded, but the principles stand true today. Michael welcomed the audience to “celebrate 40 years of progress on sustainable transportation, building equity… and building justice into our communities and into our relationships.”
Our program also included testimonials from two current Youth Apprentices who discussed their time at BNB, and remarks from DYS Commissioner Cecely Reardon, who spoke about the positive impacts that our Bike School programming has had on DYS involved youth. BNB was also excited to accept a citation from Mayor Michelle Wu, presented by Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodges, in recognition of this important milestone.
We invite you to read the event highlights below, read our special 40th Anniversary Report, or to watch the program in its entirety.
Thank you for 40 years of impact - and cheers to 40 more!
40 Years of Bikes Not Bombs
Learn more about our history, our work, and our impact over the past 40 years. Get a behind the scenes look at BNB in action: Bike School classes, Apprentices honing their mechanic skills, and volunteers at a container loading. Hear directly from co-founder Carl Kurz about the creation of Bikes Not Bombs and why our mission still resonates today.
Directed, edited, and produced by CTD Productions. Principal photography by CTD Productions, with additional footage by Bob Nesson and Fiona Broadie.
Program Highlights: Local and Global Solidarity
Looking ahead, we’re reigniting our global partnerships, including developing a new partnership in Vieques, a sister island to Puerto Rico. This effort is part of our commitment to providing essential transportation to folks in need, especially to those who live off the grid. Here’s a short 10-minute video about the history of Vieques and its relationship with the United States government.
This year our team traveled to Vieques 3 times and have repaired over 100 bicycles for the youth and community there. And, in 2025, we’ve got this project as well as so much more in store, including launching a new Field Worker Fellowship Program in partnership with Learn Work Develop in Rwanda.
Distinguished Alumni Award: Dymari Frederick-Guillame
At the 40th Anniversary, we were proud to honor Dymari Frederick-Guillame as the 2024 recipient of our Distinguished Alumni Award. Dymari worked as a Youth Apprentice at BNB for three years, working on refurbishing and repairing bicycles, community organizing, and bike education. Now a small business owner, Dymari described landing BNB as his business's first contract as a "full circle moment." Dymari's business, Rejunkify, fills a need for many people, sorting through unneeded items to find materials that can be reused, repurposed, or recycled. From sorting through donated bicycles as a BNB Youth Apprentice to owning and operating his own waste removal business, Dymari’s commitment to sustainability shines.
In his acceptance speech, Dymari noted how BNB showed him how one idea can have a ripple effect on so many others. He encouraged us all to remember this lesson, calling for the audience to “create change, one bike, one cleaned-up space, one connection at a time.” We’re incredibly proud to honor him - congratulations Dymari!
40th Anniversary Report
In this special 40th anniversary report on Bikes Not Bombs history, we invite you to read more about our founding, the evolution of our work, and the impacts BNB has made in Boston and beyond. You’ll read stories and testimonials from our co-founders, former staff and board members, longtime volunteers, supporters, international partners, and youth program alumni.
Make a Gift Toward Bikes Not Bombs’ Future
Help us sustain our work for another 40 years - and more!