Bessie Stringfield
(1911–1993), nicknamed "The Motorcycle Queen of Miami", was
the first African-American woman to ride across the United States
solo and during World War II she served as one of the few
motorcycle despatch riders for the United States military.
Credited with breaking down barriers for both women and African
American motorcyclists, Bessie was inducted into the AMA
Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002. The award bestowed by the
American Motorcyclist Association for 'Superior Achievement by a
Female Motorcyclist' is named in her honour.
Bessie was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1911, but
her parents migrated to Boston, USA when she was
still young. Her parents died when Bessie was five
and she was adopted and raised by an Irish woman.
At the age of sixteen Bessie taught herself to ride
her first motorcycle, a 1928 Indian Scout.
At the age of nineteen she commenced travelling
across the United States and eventually rode
through the 48 lower states, Europe, Brazil and
Haiti. During this time she earned money from
performing motorcycle stunts in carnival shows.
Due to her skin colour, Bessie was often denied
accommodation while travelling, so she would
sleep on her motorcycle at filling stations. Due to
her sex, she was refused prizes in flat track races
she entered.
During WWII Bessie served as a civilian courier for
the US Army, carrying documents between
domestic army bases. During the four years she
worked for the Army she crossed the United States
eight times.
In the 1950s Bessie moved to Miami, Florida where
at first she was told "nigger women are not allowed
to ride motorcycles" by the local police. However,
she qualified as a nurse there and founded the Iron
Horse Motorcycle Club.
Her skill and antics at motorcycle shows gained
the attention of the local press, leading to the
nickname of "The Negro Motorcycle Queen". This
nickname later changed to "The Motorcycle Queen
of Miami", a moniker she carried for the remainder
of her life. In 1990 the AMA paid tribute to her in
their inaugural "Heroes of Harley-Davidson"
exhibition she having owned 27 of their
motorcycles.
Bessie died in 1993 at the age of 82 from a heart
condition having kept riding right up until the time
of her death.
In 2000 the AMA created the "Bessie Stringfield
Memorial Award" to recognize outstanding
achievement by a female motorcyclist, and Bessie
was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in
2002.