Bessie Stringfield. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, it should. Stringfield is the epitome of #BlackGirlMagic – and she made her mark in the 1930s. Alone. On a Harley-Davidson. In the Jim Crow Era. Here are five things to know about historic motorcyclist Bessie Stringfield.
In 1930, when she was 19, Stringfield commenced her cross country trek on her motorcycle. She went through all 48 states and abroad to places like Haiti, Brazil and Europe.
Her biographer and protégé Ann Ferrar said Stringfield flipped a coin on a map of the U.S. to decide where she would go.
“When I get on the motorcycle, I put the Man Upstairs (God) on the front. I’m very happy on two wheels,” Stringfield told Ferrar.
As a Black woman, Stringfield wasn’t allowed to sleep at most hotels, So she often slept on her motorcycle at gas stations or bunked with Black families.
“If you had Black skin, you couldn’t get a place to stay,” Stringfield once told a reporter, according to Harley-Davidson. “I knew the Lord would take care of me and he did. If I found Black folks, I’d stay with them. If not, I’d sleep at filling stations on my motorcycle.”
She is said to have completed trips around the country 8 times.
Born Bessie Beatrice White, Stringfield got her first bike in 1928. It was an Indian Scout, according to Vice. She was 16 at the time and taught herself how to ride it.
In 1990, Stringfield was honored as a part of the inaugural “Heroes of Harley-Davidson” exhibit. She owned 27 motorcycles in her lifetime.
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Stringfield served as a civilian dispatcher for the U.S. Army during World War II. In the role she was a courier of documents between military bases. She was also the only woman in her unit and served for four years.
In the 1950s, Stringfield settled in Miami, Florida. She planted roots by purchasing a home and becoming a nurse. However, she maintained her motorcycle license.
She told Ferrar she clashed with police upon her initial arrival in the city when she went to apply for her local license, but impressed the white motorcycle cop by performing tough motorcycle tricks and won them over.
“From that day on, I didn’t have any trouble from the police, and I got my license too,” Stringfield said.
She also founded the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club, rode local races and parades and became known as the “Motorcycle Queen of Miami.”
Despite facing racism and sexism, Stringfield defied traditional roles imposed on her by society. She was officially recognized as a trailblazer by American Motorcycle Association and inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame posthumously in 2002. She died in 1993.
Popular HBO Series “Lovecraft country” gave a nod to Stringfield on one of its recent episodes.
PLEASE NOTE: There are some discrepancies about Springfield’s origins and background because she was accused of fabricating her early upbringing, which some reports corroborate. However, her historic contribution as a Black woman motorcyclist is not disputed.
