Stringfield, Bessie (Betsy Beatrice White)
1911-1993 · Contribution: 1930-1960
Industrial & Mechanical
Taught herself motorcycle mechanics entirely out of necessity after mechanics across the segregated South repeatedly refused to service her bike, becoming skilled enough to maintain her own motorcycles across eight solo cross-country trips and four years as a U.S. Army civilian dispatch rider; later opened her own motorcycle repair shop in Miami and taught mechanics classes to her community
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1911-1993
- Active since
- 1930-1960
- Category
- Industrial & Mechanical
Impact on the world
Barred from the repair shops white riders relied on, Stringfield turned self-taught mechanical skill into freedom, crossing a segregated country solo and serving her country on two wheels.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Source lookupFind
National Motorcycle Museum
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