If you’ve been following along on our blog, Marco Speeks needs no introduction. You might know him from his LCI Spotlight last year, or from the Youth Empowerment Award he received at the 2026 National Bike Summit on behalf of Major Taylor Michigan Cycling Advocacy.
Recently, Marco added another honor to that list: the 2026 Trailblazer Award from the Major Taylor International Cycling Alliance, recognizing his work pioneering Major Taylor Day in Michigan. We caught up with him again to hear what this recognition means, how the campaign came together, and what it could look like to bring Major Taylor Day to the rest of the country.
“I am honored to receive the 2026 Trailblazer Award from the Major Taylor International Cycling Alliance for pioneering Major Taylor Day in Michigan. Governor Whitmer’s proclamation was a team effort, and this recognition belongs to everyone who rode with us.” — Marco Speeks
Congratulations on the Trailblazer Award! You’ve been getting some well-deserved kudos lately. What does it feel like to have your work seen and celebrated this way?
Gratitude is the word. When you’re deep in the work, you’re not thinking about awards. You’re thinking about the next school visit, the next bike rack installation, the next kid who needs a bike to get to school. So when recognition comes, it lands differently. It reminds you that the work matters beyond your own four walls. The 2026 Youth Empowerment Award from the League of American Bicyclists, Governor Whitmer’s proclamation, and now the Trailblazer Award from the Major Taylor International Cycling Alliance, each of these is a signal that the broader cycling community is paying attention to what Major Taylor Michigan Cycling Advocacy is building in Detroit. I receive it on behalf of everyone who showed up.
You mentioned the recognition belongs to everyone who “rode with us” on this campaign. Who were the key players, and what did that coalition-building process actually look like?
It was a genuine coalition, and we spearheaded and led every step of it. We brought in the League of American Bicyclists, the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society, Bike Friendly Kalamazoo, and the League of Michigan Bicyclists to support our petition. We submitted the letters of support. We drafted the proclamation language. We made the case from multiple angles: historical justice, youth inspiration, educational value, and Michigan’s own identity as a state that leads on civil rights. That layered argument matters because no single voice wins a gubernatorial proclamation. You need a chorus, and we built it.
Michigan is now the first state in the country to honor Major Taylor with a gubernatorial proclamation. Why do you think this hadn’t happened before, and what made Michigan the place where it finally did?
Honestly? Someone had to go get it. Major Taylor’s story has been hiding in plain sight for over a century. He was the fastest man on a bike, the first Black American world champion in any sport, and he preceded Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens by decades. The history was always there. What Michigan had that other states didn’t, in this moment, was a sustained, organized campaign with a clear ask, credible partners, and a governor willing to lead. Detroit’s own story of resilience and reinvention mirrors Taylor’s, and that connection gave the proclamation an authenticity that no other state could claim in quite the same way. But the real answer is: we put in the work to make it undeniable.
If an advocate in another state wanted to replicate what you did in Michigan, where would you tell them to start?
Start with the story, not the politics. Major Taylor’s life is extraordinary on its own terms. Once people understand who he was and what he overcame, the case for recognition makes itself. Then build your coalition before you make your ask. Don’t walk into the Governor’s office alone. Bring civil rights organizations, educators, cycling clubs, city council members. Document everything. Draft the proclamation language yourself so there is no ambiguity about what you are requesting. And be patient. Persistence is not optional in advocacy. You are asking government to do something it has never done. That takes time and repeated effort.
We are not keeping this playbook to ourselves. We are currently consulting and advising cycling clubs, community organizations, and advocacy groups across the country on how to petition their own states for statewide recognition of Major Taylor. If your organization is ready to take that step, contact us. We know the path, and we are glad to help you walk it. Reach us at [email protected] or MTMCA.ORG.
What do you hope this moment in Michigan ultimately means for Major Taylor’s legacy nationwide?
I want it to be the first domino. Michigan proved it could be done. Now every state has a model to follow and no excuse not to. Major Taylor deserves a Congressional Gold Medal. He deserves to be in every American history curriculum alongside the other pioneers of his era. What we did in Michigan is a chapter, not the conclusion. The goal is a day when a young cyclist in Atlanta, or Detroit, or Los Angeles knows exactly who Major Taylor was and feels the full weight of what he accomplished. That is the legacy. We are just trying to make sure it is not buried anymore.