Bessie Stringfield

World War II and later life During World War II Stringfield served as a civilian courier for the US Army, carrying documents between domestic army bases. She completed the rigorous training and rode her own blue 61 cubic inch Harley-Davidson.

She qualified as a nurse there and founded the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club.

Legacy In 1990 the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) paid tribute to her in their inaugural "Heroes of Harley-Davidson" exhibition, as she owned 27 Harley motorcycles. In 2000 the AMA created the "Bessie Stringfield Memorial Award" to recognize outstanding achievement by a female motorcyclist. Stringfield was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002. It ceased operations in 2021, the same year as the founding of the Bessie Belles Riding Club.

Many personal possessions of Stringfield featured in the documentary are on display at the Harley-Davidson Museum as of October 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In popular media In 2017 Timeline released free and online a short video about Bessie Stringfield, "Meet Bessie Stringfield, the Black ‘Motorcycle Queen’". The 2020 HBO series Lovecraft Country features a homage to Bessie Stringfield.

A documentary, "To Myself, With Love: The Bessie Stringfield Story", directed by Diane Weis and executive produced by Sam Pollard and Gabby Revilla Lugo, made its premiere at AmDocs Film Festival in Palm Springs, California, in March 2024 and garnered The Special Jury Award. The documentary short screened at film festivals across the United States.