Bessie Stringfield: Motorcycle Queen!

(*Motorcycle sound effect Harley Davidson, Bessie's motorcycle of choice*) There was nothing that Bessie Stringfield loved more than her Harley-Davidson motorcycle and the open road! African-American motorcyclist Bessie Stringfield was the first Black woman to ride alone across the United States starting in the 1930s. Bessie visited and rode her motorcycle along 48 states during her eight trips across the country. Bessie chose to ride along a different road than most women at the time. During the 1930s, people thought it was improper for women to ride motorcycles. Jobs and experiences for women, especially African-American women, were limited. There have been different stories and accounts of Bessie Stringfield's childhood life from her family, reporters, writers, and Bessie herself! But what we know for sure is that Bessie was a pioneer for women in motorcycling. She was a brave adventurer and a great storyteller with a huge beautiful smile! We also know that Bessie loved her Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which she owned 27 of throughout her life. When Bessie Stringfield was asked about her motorcycles, she said, "Well, it's got to be blue, and it's got to be new!" (*Motorcycle sound effect Harley Davidson, Bessie's motorcycle of choice*) Bessie Stringfield was born in 1912, and Bessie said she received her first motorcycle, a 1928 Indian Scout, as a birthday gift at age 16! At 19 years old, Bessie took off on her first cross-country trip. How brave and full of confidence Bessie must have been to travel alone. Back in the 1930s, there were no highway systems with smoothly paved roads yet. So Bessie had to ride and guide her motorcycle through dirt and muddy roads that became even more dangerous in the rain! How did Bessie Stringfield decide where to go? She called her trips "Penny Tours." Bessie would toss a penny at a map, and wherever it landed is where she would travel next. But Bessie would need to earn money to eat and pay for gas to keep her adventures going. So when she would run out of cash, Bessie would join a local circus or carnival and perform stunts and tricks on her motorcycle. One of her stunts was the Wall of Death, in which she would ride around the inside of a vertical wall at 30 miles per hour. Her signature stunt was riding while standing on the seat of her Harley motorcycle. Bessie Stringfield did not only have to worry about muddy unpaved roads and earning money to continue traveling. She also had to worry about running from the Jim Crow Laws or, as Bessie would say, "Running from old Jim Crow." Bessie would tell stories about being chased off the road by angry mobs of white men on foot and in trucks. The Jim Crow Laws were laws created to keep African Americans separate from whites in the southern United States for many years, starting in the 1870s until the 1960s! Bessie had to be careful where she ate, slept, and stopped to get gas, especially when she was in a state in the South. If she couldn't find anyone willing to let her purchase food or a place to stay, she would find a hidden location at a gas station or in the woods and sleep on her motorcycle using her jacket as a pillow. Bessie not only had courage but she was also intelligent and quick on her feet. Bessie Stringfield said anytime she had a challenge, she would talk with the "Man Upstairs" for guidance and to find the strength to be fearless and confident. During the 1940s, Bessie Stringfield served as a civilian motorcycle dispatch rider for the U.S Army during World War II. She would ride her motorcycle to and from different U.S. military bases delivering private documents. Bessie became an even better motorcycle rider and improved her skills through this job. She learned how to race up steep hills, make tight turns, and build bridges out of ropes and tree branches to cross swamps. In the 1940s and 1950s, Bessie decided to settle down in Miami, Florida, where she got her famous nickname, "Motorcycle Queen of Miami." She worked as a domestic and a nanny, helping run a household while attending nursing school. Bessie later became a certified nursing assistant. The family she worked for loved her, especially the two young sons, and once, when their mother forgot to pick them up from school, Bessie vroomed, vroomed in front of the elementary school. "We found Bessie out there on her Harley and in her leather jacket," remembered one of the boys. As the boys jumped up to join Bessie on her motorcycle, their excited classmates cheered! When Bessie first arrived in Miami, Florida, the local police were unhappy to have a motorcycle-loving African-American woman racing around the city. They were sure she would injure herself or others. Bessie went down to the police station and pleaded her case: she knew how to ride and would not cause damage to herself or others. She proved her skills by passing the police department captain's tricky motorcycle riding test, including figure eights in the local park. Bessie said, "I did them, and he was amazed. He said he'd never seen a woman ride like that. After that, I didn't have any trouble from the police." After a while, Bessie was able to purchase her own house in Miami, Florida. In Bessie Stringfield’s time, motorcycle culture and clubs, including the American Motorcyclist Association, were only for white men to enjoy. So, Bessie founded a more inclusive Iron Horse motorcycle club where everyone was welcome, and she helped promote the love of motorcycling to all. As Bessie Stringfield got older, she still had tons of energy! Every year, during an annual parade in Miami, Bessie would lead a pack of motorcyclists, all men, and when she was 70 years old, she was still riding her Harley to church every Sunday. Bessie passed away in 1993, but her memory lives on. She was the first African American woman inducted into the American Motorcyclist Association’s Hall of Fame and the Harley Davidson Hall of Fame. In addition, hundreds of women motorcyclists make an annual cross-country trek in her honor. Bessie's nephew laughed as he remembered his Aunt Bessie and said, "She would stand on that bike with one foot on the seat and one foot on the handlebars." Bessie Stringfield was an independent and courageous African American woman during a time when that was nearly impossible! Her story is a reminder to follow your dreams, and even if you get knocked down, dust yourself off and keep going. (*Motorcycle sound effect Harley Davidson, Bessie's motorcycle of choice*)