Photograph

Bessie Stringfield (1911-1993) nicknamed "the motorcycle queen of Miami" was the first African-American woman to ride across the United States on motorcycle solo, and during World War II she served as one of the few motorcycle dispatch riders for the U.S. military. She is credited with breaking many barriers for African-American women and an award at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame is named in her honor. Probably the best-known photograph of Stringfield shows her posed with a Harley Davidson Electra-Glide motorcycle. She typically rode Harley Davidsons although her first cycle was a 1928 Indian Scout model.