In those days, the girls of Bhadraghar did not ride motorcycles.
- More stringfields
In modern civilized society, racism is still very evident. And if we talk about the 1930s and 40s, then this inequality was the normal practice of the society at that time. But the example of making history by showing thumbs up to social customs is not less in the world. And perhaps because of the patriarchal social system, girls have done more to create history through unconventional behavior. Bessie Stringfield is such an adventurous woman who has not only made history by breaking the tradition, she has also earned the respect she deserves.
Bessie is the first black woman to travel across the United States on a motorcycle alone. He did this in the 1930s and 40s. Since his first acquisition, he has traveled the United States alone seven more times, a total of eight times. He has spread across 47 states of the country. He had a total of 26 Harley-Davidson motorcycles of his own, all of which he used in various expeditions.
Betsy Elias was born on March 5, 1911, in Kingston, Jamaica, to a Dutch mother and a Jamaican father. Shortly afterwards, his family moved to Boston. But when Bessie was just five years old, both her parents died of smallpox. He was adopted and raised by an Irish Catholic woman living in Boston. Although the identity of this Catholic woman was not mentioned anywhere, he used to call her 'Mother'. While it is not known exactly how Betsy, who grew up in Boston, became a 'Bessie', the story of her becoming a 'Motorcycle Queen of Miami' is widespread. However, as a woman, she has had to endure many more obstacles to achieve this legendary place because of being black.
In 1928, he wanted a motorcycle from his mother. She started her journey to become a 'Motorcycle Queen' with a motorcycle called 'Indian Scout'. Adolescent Bessie still didn't know how to ride a motorcycle, but she was determined to learn. He later started using Harley Davidson brand bikes and he used this brand for life.
I never wanted a bike other than a Harley Davidson.
- More stringfields
Anne Ferrer, a follower of Bessie and author of her biography, mentions in her book, Here I Roar: Women, Motorcycles and the Rapture of the Road.
At the age of 19, he turned a penny on a map of the United States to determine his destination, and set out on a tour of the United States on his bike alone. Even at that time the inter-provincial highway was not built, but the path of the friend did not hinder his resolve. In 1930, she became the first black woman to ride a bike connecting 48 states in the United States.
But during the 1930s and '40s, apartheid and the Jim Crow Act forced Bessie to endure much more than the risk of traveling alone on an unknown road. At that time, no one accepted seeing a black woman riding a bike on the street. Because of that law, he was not allowed to stay in most motels. On those nights, he would spend the night at the gas station, lying on his bike with his jacket on. And if he was lucky, he would get a chance to spend the night at the homes of all the black families he met on the way.
When I got on the motorcycle, I went ahead, leaving the man upstairs (addressing God that way) in front of me. I am very happy to ride this two-wheeler.
- More stringfields
American motorcycling culture was not yet liberal. Although the American Motorcycle Association was founded in 1924, the inclusion of black members began in the 1950s, again allowing only men to become members. When World War II broke out, she joined the U.S. government's Civilian Motorcycle Dispatch Team, the only female member of the team. Harley-Davidson, in blue, placed an army crest in front of Knockhead and exchanged documents at a U.S. military base.
In 1939, she moved to Miami, Florida, where she bought a home and settled permanently as a trained nurse. In the early days of Florida, he suffered greatly because of the local police. According to a 1996 issue of American Motorcyclist, when he went to get a motorcycle license, the police informed him that they would not allow a black woman to ride a motorcycle in their area.
The police chief of the black area was a white man. Bessie asked to meet him. The police chief took him to a nearby park and asked him to do some hard workouts on a motorcycle, and Bessie did it all with great success.
The police have never harassed me since that day, and I got my license.
- More stringfields
She then participated in various local competitions, founded a motorcycle club called ‘Iron Horse’ and gained a reputation as the ‘Motorcycle Queen of Miami’. Once she won a race in the men's sej and took off her helmet, she was not given the prize just because she was a woman. Even at the age of 60, he rode his motorcycle to church. He continued to ride a motorcycle until his death.
Bessie got married a total of six times. She never tried to conceive again, having lost three children with her first husband. Even after the divorce, she did not remove her name from her name at the request of her third husband, Arthur Stringfield. He died of a heart attack in 1993 at the age of 82.
In 2000, the American Motorcycle Association honored him with an exhibition. It also introduces the Bessie Stringfield Award each year for its significant role in bringing motorcycle sports and entertainment to new audiences. In 2002, he was inducted into the American Motorcycle Association's Hall of Fame. As mentioned in the June 2002 issue of the Miami Times, 200 female motorcyclists paid their respects to the late guide at Bessie's South Florida home.
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