The 44 Percent: Miami’s Motorcycle Queen, North Miami Beach’s Black mayor, Rolling Loud
Bessie Stringfield had a bravery rarely seen these days.
The “Motorcycle Queen of Miami,” as she is dubbed, stood in the face of adversity and did things on her own terms, from her many marriages to her determination in riding across the country – which she did eight times.
A 2024 documentary, “To Myself With Love: The Bessie Stringfield Story” tells the story of Stringfield’s life and the racism and sexism she experienced. What’s perhaps poignant about the film is that she was not deterred by those challenges as she lived life by her rules.
An embodiment of what it truly means to be free, Stringfield is a template for how Black people should live their lives: unabashedly loving themselves and not feeling confined to whatever box people put them in.
INSIDE THE 305:
‘Not a bad American dream story’: A changing North Miami Beach swears in first Black mayor
North Miami Beach, a city that’s seen its fair share of turmoil for the past few years, elected its first Black mayor, Michael Joseph. Joseph, who is of Haitian descent, sat on the city commission for six years before being elected to the job—a job he never expected to have.
As I write: “This wasn’t supposed to be me,” said Joseph, 43, before telling the story of his Haitian parents, who immigrated to the United States. His father worked as a janitor and his mom a maid. He told the audience about how he worked his way through undergraduate and law school.
“Not a bad American dream story. But mayor? Being young and thinking about life goals, being mayor isn’t at the top of the list,” said Joseph, who grew up in Miami’s Little River neighborhood. “But God has a plan for me, like he has a plan for all of us. I never thought my name would be added to the list of such great pioneers and trailblazers in our community.”
Documentary about Miami’s ‘Motorcycle Queen’ is a festival favorite. Is Oscar buzz next?
It’s hard to say if Bessie Stringfield went wherever the wind told her or if she made the wind bend to her will.
Known as the Motorcycle Queen, Stringfield was the first Black woman to ride a motorcycle cross country, completing eight trips total across the U.S. starting in the 1930s, and facing all her challenges head on.
Stringfield’s accomplishments, zeal and determination are depicted in the short documentary “To Myself With Love: The Bessie Stringfield Story,” which features snapshots of Stringfield’s life, from cross dressing to compete in motorcycle races, to her many marriages, to being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio. A longtime resident of Opa-locka, she founded her own riding crew, Iron Horse Motorcycle Club, and inspired a whole generation of Black women to buy their own motorcycles and head out on adventures.
OUTSIDE THE 305:
Nikki Giovanni, poet and literary giant, has died at 81
Nikki Giovanni, the poet, author, educator and public speaker who rose from borrowing money to release her first book to decades as a literary celebrity sharing her blunt and conversational takes on everything from racism and love to space travel and mortality, has died, The Associated Press reported. She was 81.
Giovanni, subject of the prize-winning 2023 documentary Going to Mars, died Monday with her lifelong partner, Virginia (Ginney) Fowler, by her side, according to a statement from friend and author Renée Watson.
“We will forever feel blessed to have shared a legacy and love with our dear cousin,” Allison (Pat) Ragan, Giovanni’s cousin, said in a statement on behalf of the family.
Biden Appoints 40 Black Women as Federal Judges, Breaking Record
In the final days of his presidency, Joe Biden has made good on a campaign promise to diversify the federal judiciary, by appointing a record-breaking 40 Black women as judges. All together, Biden has appointed 63 Black judges, Capital B reports.
As he approaches his final weeks in the Oval Office, political pundits are offering appraisals of his presidency’s impact on the Black community.
His Black judicial appointments, experts say, are also important because they may play a crucial role in serving as a judicial check on the second presidency of Trump, who has vowed to dismantle government agencies such as the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division — a move that is likely to face a stiff legal challenge.
HIGH CULTURE:
Rolling Loud Miami is finally here. Here’s who you don’t want to miss
Music festivals can be a lot. Have no fear: the Miami Herald has put together a guide that will help you find the best talent of the weekend. From Shaboozey to Sexyy Red to Bossman Dlow, we have the inside scoop on all the artists that you just got to see.
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 4:27 PM.
