Dorktales Storytime

Bessie Stringfield, Hidden Hero of History

Jonathan Cormur Season 5 Episode 88

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A story of courage and adventure! Bessie Stringfield, revved through societal barriers to become the first Black woman to ride solo across the United States on a motorcycle in 1930. From braving the bumpy and dangerous roads to serving as a dispatch rider in World War II, Bessie's adventurous spirit and unwavering courage broke new ground for women and Black motorcycle riders. She defied the limitations of her time and pursued her passion against all odds, earning her the respect of her community and the title "Motorcycle Queen of Miami."

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/bessie-stringfield/

Get a free activity guide on Bessie Stringfield: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/ep88freePDF

If you liked this story about Bessie Stringfield, you might like learning about other women in history: https://jonincharacter.com/kids-podcast-playlist-for-womens-history-month/

CREDITS: Hidden Heroes of History is a Jonincharacter production. Today’s story was written by Rebecca Cunningham, edited and produced by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Hamilton Studio Recordings.

We're fans of the new children's book, Fail-A-Bration, by New York Times bestselling authors Brad and Kristi Montague. Check it out: https://montagueworkshop.com/failabration 

Did you hear Redge's secret message after the credits? Let Redge know what you think by texting (it's one way) or emailing dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com (if you want to hear back from him)

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Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

JONATHAN CORMUR: Hello Dork Squad. I'm Jonathan Cormur and you're listening to Dorktales Storytime, the podcast for kids and their pop culture-loving grown-ups, and this is an inspiring story about a hidden hero of history.

 

THEME SONG: It's a beautiful day for a story, adventure and glory, new friends and old ones too. It's an excellent day to get swept away in a tail, so let us regale you.

 

JONATHAN

Okay, Redge. You got this. You can ride a bicycle without training wheels. I believe in you.

 

REDGE

That’s lovely that you believe in me Jonathan but I’m not sure that will be enough to get me through this ridiculous process.

 

JONATHAN

It’s going to be okay. You’re going to hold onto the handlebars, place your feet firmly on the pedals, and push them forward. I’m going to hold the back of the bike and guide you along until we get to that bench over there. 

 

REDGE

(nervously) And then what happens at the bench?

 

JONATHAN

I’ll release you. 

 

REDGE 

Release me?! Have you lost your mind, Jonathan!? I’ll crash and break every quill on my body. No! Retrieve my training wheels immediately. 

 

JONATHAN

Okay, if you don’t feel ready, that’s alright. We can always try again on another day.

 

REDGE

Ugh, no, no. It shan’t wait. They won’t let me into the Bippity Boppity Bicycle Club unless I lose the training wheels. It’s been my dream for at least three days to join them. They look so cool with their shiny glasses, sleek helmets, and stretchy-stretch shorts.

 

JONATHAN

Well, then you know what you have to do, Redge. Are you ready? 

 

REDGE

(Breathes in.) I am ready. 

 

JONATHAN

Okay, on your mark. Get set. Here … we … go!

 

REDGE 

We’re going!

 

JONATHAN

We’re going! 

 

REDGE

I’m riding a two-wheel bicycle! 

 

JONATHAN

Well almost! We’re at the bench now. And … I … release you!

 

REDGE

Haha! Woo-hoo! Bye-bye training wheels! See you never!

 

JONATHAN

Keep pushing the pedals, Redge! You got this!

 

REDGE

I got this! I’m doing it! I’m — Ah! I can’t stop! 

 

JONATHAN

Watch out for that bush!  

 

SFX Redge crashes into a giant bush. Jonathan runs over to him. 

 

JONATHAN

Are you okay, Redge? 

 

REDGE

Ughhhh. My aching back. I think I skinned a knee. Ugh. All of my knees actually. Do I have three knees? Leave me here. Save yourself, Jonathan!

 

JONATHAN

Oh, Redge. You’re okay. Here, let me help you up. 

 

JONATHAN

You know that was very brave of you. 

 

REDGE

Was it? But I completely failed at it. 

 

JONATHAN

It’s okay to fail. You still mustered up the courage to try. Your courage reminds me of someone actually …

 

REDGE

Is it that time again?

 

JONATHAN
 I think it is, Redge. Today we’re going to talk about a Hidden Hero of History!

 

REDGE

And who is the hero, my good friend? 

 

SFX: HHH trumpet sound.

 

JONATHAN 

Her name was Bessie Stringfield and she was happiest on two wheels. Except the thing she rode wasn’t a bicycle. 

 

REDGE

What else has two wheels? A rollerblade? My grandfather Hedgemont’s walker? Ooo! A suitcase?

 

JONATHAN

A motorcycle. 

 

SFX a motorcycle rumbles.

 

REDGE

A motorcycle!

 

JONATHAN

A motorcycle. Bessie Stringfield was the first Black woman to cross the United States on her motorcycle in 1930. 

 

REDGE

She rode across the country?! I can’t even make it past the bench. How did she learn how to do that?

 

JONATHAN

She taught herself. She practiced on her upstairs neighbor’s motorcycle. When her adoptive mother found out, she reminded Bessie that nice girls don’t ride around on motorcycles. 

 

REDGE

Bessie sounds like a bit of a rule-breaker. I like her already.

 

JONATHAN

That’s exactly what she was. When she turned 16 years old, her mother finally gave in and bought her a motorcycle of her own, a 1928 Indian. 

 

REDGE

She must’ve been delighted!

 

JONATHAN

I would imagine she was. She loved riding a motorcycle so much that in 1930, she opened up a paper map, flipped a penny on it, and decided to ride her motorcycle wherever it landed. And that started her on her first of eight journeys across the United States. 

 

REDGE

Oh, how I admire her spontaneity and sense of adventure.

 

JONATHAN

Bessie certainly was adventurous. 

 

REDGE

I love adventure just like her, you know. I mean, do you remember my big ride from just over there to this bench? 

 

JONATHAN: Very true, Redge. But as exciting as this all was, it could also get very dangerous. 

 

REDGE

Did she also crash into bushes?!

 

JONATHAN

Well … I don’t know about bushes. But she faced a lot of other dangers. In 1930, many places were not welcoming to Black people. They could be downright dangerous for a Black woman who was by herself. 

 

REDGE

Oh no. Why were they so dangerous? 

 

JONATHAN

Do you remember when we talked about racism in the past? When people are treated differently because of their skin color or background? Well there were racist rules set in place in many Southern states called Jim Crow laws. These laws made it so that Black people were treated less than white people. They would separate Black people from using the same facilities like water fountains or public restrooms as white people. Black children couldn’t attend the same schools as white children. In Bessie’s case, she would encounter angry white people who would run her off the road and many motels wouldn’t let her spend the night there because she was Black. 

 

REDGE

How awful! So where did she sleep? 

 

JONATHAN

If she met a friendly Black family she’d sleep in their homes or if that wasn’t available to her, she’d park in a gas station and sleep on her motorcycle.

 

REDGE

Sleeping on a motorcycle? I’m uncomfortable just thinking about it.

 

JONATHAN

It likely was but sleeping on a motorcycle wasn’t the only time she was uncomfortable. Motorcycles at the time didn’t have the same suspension systems that they have today so every time Bessie hit a bump in the road she really felt it. And in the 1930s? There were a lot of bumps. 

 

REDGE

What made it so bumpy?

 

JONATHAN

Well, today there are major highways that connect all of the states in America. They are wide and paved, making it easy to get from place to place. 

 

REDGE: Kind of like the Parchment Pass in the land of Once Upon a Time? 

 

JONATHAN: Exactly! But in the United States, the highway system wasn’t put in place until 1956, about sixteen years after Bessie’s first ride. The quality of roads varied from state to state. Some were paved but many were not. And, can you imagine what it was like when it rained? 

 

REDGE 

Slippery. And muddy. I shiver at the thought. 

 

JONATHAN

And it’s not like there were motorcycle shops lining the streets of those bumpy roads. If her bike broke down, she had to be her own mechanic! 

 

REDGE

So she was not only adventurous, she was also handy! 

 

JONATHAN

Yes, and many of her skills were put to good use when she served in the US Army during World War II. She was a civilian motorcycle dispatch rider carrying messages, documents, and orders between military units. And she was the only woman in her unit, I might add. 

 

REDGE

How very double-o-seven secret agent of her. 
 
 JONATHAN

(Laughs) It does all sound very mysterious. But her military work meant she got to spend even more time riding across the United States with just herself, the open road, and her motorcycle. Her favorite place to be.

 

REDGE

So what happened to Bessie after the war? 

 

JONATHAN

In the 1950s she moved to Florida and bought her own house. She rode around Miami earning herself the nickname “Motorcycle Queen of Miami”. 

 

REDGE: 

Motorcycle royalty! I love it! 

 

JONATHAN: 

Unfortunately, she still faced discrimination or unfair treatment. Police would try and stop her from riding!

 

REDGE: How dare they put the brakes on her passion! 

 

JONATHAN: Agreed! But after impressing the police captain with her motorcycle tricks, like figure 8s, they never bothered her again. She even started her own motorcycle club called the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club.

 

REDGE

Kind of like the Bippity Boppity Bicycle Club. Do you think they wore stretchy-stretch shorts too?! 

 

JONATHAN

I can’t imagine they did but I bet they wore sleek helmets!

 

REDGE

Well if Bessie could be that brave, I guess I could give this whole bicycle thing one more shot. 

 

JONATHAN

That’s the spirit, Redge. If Bessie has taught us anything, it’s that even if the road gets bumpy we can still pick ourselves back up and keep going. 

 

REDGE

Alright, let’s try this again. You guide me to that bench over there and then release me. 

 

JONATHAN

Okay on your mark … get set … go. 

 

REDGE

We’re going!

 

JONATHAN
 We’re going! We’re at the bench! I … release you!

 

REDGE 

Woo-hoo! I’m doing it! I’m riding a bicycle. 

 

JONATHAN

Watch out for the bush! Nice maneuvering Redge! You’re a natural!

 

REDGE

Bippity Boppity Bicycle Club, here I come!!

 

THE END.

 

JONATHAN CORMUR: Dorktales’ Hidden Heroes of History is a Jonincharacter production. This story was written by Rebecca Cunningham, edited by Molly Murphy, and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Hamilton Studio Recordings. Reach out to us on Instagram or email us at dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com. Find links in the show notes or go to dorktalesstorytime.com. Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

THEME SONG: So gather your squad for all to see. It's a universe that we've imagined. There's twists and turns and lessons learned. This is where the unexpected happens. Join our humble hosts and hit the trails of the wonderful, wacky, wild world of Dorktales.

 

© Dorktales Storytime 2024

 

 

 

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