For her many decades on earth and riding motorcycles, it's clear from those who knew her that Bessie Stringfield was an absolute force of nature. This isn't a story about me, but as a female rider who didn't pick up riding until after Stringfield was no longer with us, her story has nonetheless been incredibly inspiring for me.
I also know that I'm far from being the only one that's true for, and that's why it's so important to keep passing that torch along.
Because she did what so many women riders want to do: She did things on her own terms, and she didn't let anyone tell her no, you can't do that. And if they did have that audacity, she just went and did the thing anyway.
Stunt riding to pay her way? Dispatch riding for the Army during WWII? Riding the Wall of Death back in the day? Check, check, and check. And she did it all as a proud Black woman rider, criss-crossing the US multiple times on her fleet of Harleys during the height of Jim Crow. It's absolutely mind-blowing stuff.
But that's not all. Back in the 1960s, when the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) didn't allow women to be full members, Stringfield managed to start her own fully sanctioned motorcycle club. In fact, that's actually one of the documents you can see up close in this exhibit. When I saw it for myself in person, it literally took my breath away, and I'm not exaggerating.
Anyway, if you're wondering why there hasn't been a documentary about her yet, yes there has. And, in fact, it's part of how the upcoming Bessie Stringfield: Motorcycle Queen of Miami exhibition that's about to open up at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee came to be. Over the course of making that documentary (interview with some of the creative team in the link above), the filmmakers gained access to many photos, documents, and other artifacts from Stringfield's estate, and it's those objects that will be on display at the Harley Museum very shortly.
A short time ago, I had the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at the Harley-Davidson Museum Archives and speak with the archival team about the upcoming exhibit, as well as Bessie's life. We'll have a video up for you about that very soon, and will have a more in-depth BTS post about the experience then.
For now, though, if you're interested in checking out Bessie Stringfield: Motorcycle Queen of Miami at the Harley-Davidson Museum, you should know that the exhibition formally opens to the public on September 25, 2025. It will live in the Clubs & Competition Gallery for at least the next three years after its opening, so definitely try to make time to go check it out if you can.
And keep an eye out for our behind-the-scenes feature about the Bessie Stringfield exhibition, coming soon to RideApart!
