Reimagining & Redesigning Mobility Rights with Jacob Smith
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About the Episode
Antionette D. Carroll hosts Jacob Smith, a Black, queer, disabled advocate who delves deep into mobility justice. Jacob sees mobility justice as more than just transportation safety; it encompasses the recognition of historical injustices and the role of individual identities in shaping movement. He emphasizes the need to consider the broader implications of identity, particularly disability justice, ensuring people's rights to navigate and live freely, unhindered by past oppressions. A personal turning point for Jacob was a severe car accident and subsequent brain injury, propelling him into this advocacy realm.
Jacob highlights the crucial role of youth in spearheading mobility justice, introducing the National Youth Transportation Equity Fellowship as a beacon for change. The conversation turns to the significance of equity in urban planning and mobility justice, with Jacob critiquing existing power imbalances. He advocates for environments where diverse identities can flourish without marginalization fears and shares insights from his projects, such as opposing the criminalization of fare evasion and the surveillance implications of speed cameras.
About Our Guest:
Jacob Smith is a diehard visionary movement builder. He has his own consultancy in road safety and mobility justice, delivering high-impact community organizing for transforming mobility access in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities, and also is the Executive Director of National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS). Since 2014, he has presented at over 190 conferences and led projects in 12 states, mobilizing youth for safe and sustainable communities. Today, he also serves as the Regional Leader of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, working across the nation to mobilize young people to meaningfully engage in participation for road safety and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Through experience as a nonprofit executive, organizer, activist, and strategist, Jacob recognizes that all the most pressing road safety issues can be solved and transformed by youth.
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