Early 1930’s America was ushered in on the heels of an era of unprecedented, lopsided prosperity. The decade witnessed the Great Depression, poor race relations, and surges in racial violence. Approximately half of black Americans were out of work, and in some Northern cities, could be fired from any job as long as there were unemployed whites.
Amid the unrest, Bessie Stringfield (born in 1911) began to live a dream unimaginable to most: riding a motorcycle across the United States.
“When I was in high school, I wanted a motorcycle, and I got one,” Stringfield, whose first bike was a 1928 Indian Scout, told biographer Ann Ferrar. At that time Stringfield knew nothing about motorcycles, insisting that “The Man Upstairs” provided her the skills. By age 18, she proved to be a natural at handling a bike. This was the beginning of her barrier-breaking career on the road.
Stringfield would later own and ride 27 Harley-Davidson bikes, choosing her destination by tossing a penny over a map and riding to wherever it landed. She eventually covered 48 states. To support herself and the trips, she sometimes performed trick riding demonstrations, but it was her faith that sustained her through many nights.
During the thirties and forties, not even Jim Crow could not keep Stringfield from taking eight long-distance and solo rides across the United States. She shared that many times she could not get a room, so she slept on her motorcycle.
But not all of Stringfield’s road trips involved struggle.
According to Farrar: “Bessie was drawn to the open road for the feeling of freedom and a wanderlust for seeing the country … She wanted to meet the melting pot of America and was rewarded with many life-affirming encounters with whites and other ethnic groups.”
Stringfield, when working for the army as a civilian motorcycle courier during World War II, proved that through rigorous training maneuvers, she had the skills to navigate her bike on rough roads.
Married and divorced six times, she kept the surname of her third husband. She suffered the loss of three babies, and never had more children.
In the 1950s, Stringfield moved to Miami, Florida. There she became a licensed practical nurse and founded the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club. She earned the nickname “Motorcycle Queen of Miami” by showcasing her Harley skills. In 1990 when the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) opened the first Motorcycle Heritage Museum in Pickerington, Ohio, Stringfield was featured in its inaugural exhibit: Women in Motorcycling.
Later on, Stringfield suffered from symptoms caused by an enlarged heart. She died in Opa-locka, Florida in 1993 at age 82. According to Ferrar, “Despite superficial appearances today, Stringfield is not, and never was, a public figure. Rather, she is the object of public curiosity even to the point of fascination.”
A decade later, the AMA instituted the Bessie Stringfield Award to honor women leaders in motorcycling. In 2002, she was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.