Bessie Stringfield (born Betsy Beatrice White; 1911 or 1912 – February 16, 1993), also known as the "Motorcycle Queen of Miami", was an American motorcyclist who was the first African-American woman to ride across the United States solo, and was one of the few civilian motorcycle dispatch riders for the US Army during World War II.

[2][3] Credited with breaking down barriers for both women and African-American motorcyclists, Stringfield was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

[2] In later years, she created a different version of her life, saying she was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1911 to a black Jamaican father and a white Dutch mother, James Ferguson and Maria Ellis.

[4] Due to her skin color, Stringfield was often denied accommodation while traveling, so she would sleep on her motorcycle at filling stations.

She regularly encountered racism during this time, reportedly being deliberately knocked down by a white man in a pickup truck while traveling in the South.

In the 1950s Stringfield moved to Miami, Florida, where at first she was told "nigger women are not allowed to ride motorcycles" by the local police.

[12] In 2000 the AMA created the "Bessie Stringfield Memorial Award" to recognize outstanding achievement by a female motorcyclist.

A documemtary about Bessie Stringfield, "To Myself, With Love: The Bessie Stringfield Story", directed by [Diane Weis[16] and executive produced by Sam Pollard and Gabby Revilla Lugo,[citation needed] made its premiere at AmDocs Film Festival in Palm Springs on March 22, 2024[16] and garnered The Special Jury Award.