Letter 30 - She Was The FIRST!

Hello Bregdan Women,

You’ve got Ginny today…

I loved learning about this incredible Bregdan Woman.  It’s always impressive to me when someone is “FIRST”.

First at anything.

There is no example to emulate.  There are no footsteps to follow in.  There is nothing to research so that you’re ready.

You simply have to decide to do what no one has ever done before.

And then figure it out.

Bessie Stringfield did that.  She was the first African-American to cross the country on a motorcycle.

In the 1930’s and 1940’s. 

To understand Bessie’s courage, you have to understand the times she lived in.

Racism was rampant in the United States.  Jim Crow Laws had been created to keep black people under control.  The KKK, less prevalent at the end of Reconstruction, had come roaring back to life after black soldiers who fought in World War I had the “audacity” to return to the US with the belief that their willingness to fight gave them some rights.

The KKK exploded in growth during the 1920’s.

If you were black, or another hated identity (like Jews, Homosexuals, or Latino), you had to always be on the lookout for:

The KKK holding night-time meetings, burning crosses, and marching in white clothing with hoods over their heads.  They violently attacked minority communities. 

Black people were subjected to tar and feathering.  This public torture meant people would be stripped to the waist or stripped naked.  Hot pine tar would either be poured over them or painted on their bodies.  They would then be rolled in feathers. Their skin often became burned and blistered or peeled off when solvents were used to remove the remnants.

The KKK beat, raped, and murdered their black victims.

And then, of course, there were the lynchings – mob killings of black Americans without trial – known as “Rope Law”

This was the America that Bessie Stringfield decided to explore on her motorcycle.

She taught herself how to ride when she was sixteen.  Her first motorcycle was an Indian Scout, but her next 27 motorcycles were all Harley Davidsons.

When she turned 19, she was eager to explore America.

The year was 1930.

She decided where to go by throwing a penny at a map she laid out on the floor.  She went wherever the penny landed.  She eventually covered all 48 of the lower states.

That year, she was the first African-American women to cross the United States solo.

She made money by doing motorcycle stunts at area fairs.  She was absolutely fearless and determined to live life on her own terms.

Being fearless, however, didn’t stop her from having to deal with the challenges of being black.  During those years, the vast majority of lodgings were limited to white people.  As Bessie traveled, she always had to think about where she would sleep at night.

If she was lucky, there would be a black family that would invite her to stay.  If one didn’t appear, she would stop at a local gas station, tuck her motorcycle back in the shadows, lay a pillow on the handlebars, and use her motorcycle as her bed. 

Far too often, her penny landed in the Deep South.  The location of her penny never stopped her from heading to her destination.

Was Bessie consciously championing the rights of women and African-Americans? 

I’m sure she was glad that was a consequence of her actions, but in reality, she was simply living life in her own way.

The actions of a Bregdan Woman!

A woman determined to live life in her own way.

In the 1940’s, Bessie kept creating history. 

During World War II, Bessie worked for the army as a civilian motorcycle dispatch rider. The only woman in her unit, she completed rigorous training maneuvers. She learned how to weave a makeshift bridge from rope and tree limbs to cross swamps. Thankfully, she never had to use her knowledge in the line of duty. With a military crest on the front of her own blue Harley, a “61,” she carried documents between domestic bases.

Even in the years of her service, she was in danger.  One day, she was followed by a man in a white pickup truck.  He drove her off the road, violently forcing her bike into a ditch.  Thankfully, she was not injured when she was thrown from her motorcycle.

She kept serving.

She kept exploring America.

She crossed the nation – solo – eight times in those years.

In the 1950’s, ready to come off the road, she bought a house in Miami and became certified as a practical nurse.  That didn’t mean she was done riding, however.

Nothing would stop her from fulfilling her passion.

She founded the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club.  In her forties, she wasn’t done attracting attention. 

Bessie disguised herself as a man and won a flat track race.  Predictably, she was denied the prize money when she took off her helmet. 

She garnered media attention when she rode her Harley while standing in the saddle.

Reporters called her the Negro Motorcycle Queen.  Later her name was changed to the Motorcycle Queen of Miami.

She passed away at age 82, in 1993.

Before she died, she said, “They tell me my heart is three times the size it’s supposed to be.”

That seems right.  The huge heart and spirited determination of this unconventional woman touched and inspired so many people.

In 2002, she was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Bessie lived life her own way.

I have such tremendous respect and admiration for that! 

How about you?  Are you living life your own way? 

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What will you do today to impact history??

We’re on this journey with you… (And have 2 FREE gifts for you below!)

Ginny & Suess

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