Lifestyle

Black Girls Ride: Women of Color Blaze New Trails in Motorsports

WASHINGTON INFORMER — Two hundred twenty-five unapologetic, fearless and trend-setting female bikers, brought together by Black Girls Ride (BGR), will ride nearly 200,000 miles, collectively, from more than 5 states for the largest African-American music and entertainment celebration in New Orleans July 5-7. The rides, powered by Indian Motorcycle and Polaris Slingshot© represent the growing emergence of African American and female motorcyclists in the country.

Published

7 years ago

July 8, 2019

WI InternsDTU Fellows

More than 200 Female Riders Set to Dispel Biker Stereotypes on Journey to New Orleans

By WI Interns/DTU Fellows

Two hundred twenty-five unapologetic, fearless and trend-setting female bikers, brought together by Black Girls Ride (BGR), will ride nearly 200,000 miles, collectively, from more than 5 states for the largest African-American music and entertainment celebration in New Orleans July 5-7. The rides, powered by Indian Motorcycle and Polaris Slingshot© represent the growing emergence of African American and female motorcyclists in the country.

Black Girls Ride Founder Porsche Taylor has made it her mission to increase the number of female motorcyclists across the nation, provide safe riding adventures and inspire riders through safety education and celebration.

“This is the ultimate girls’ trip,” BGR Magazine Founder Porsche Taylor said. “We are celebrating our femininity, individuality and showing the world that there’s an indescribable feeling of accomplishment and freedom that women get when they conquer their fears on a high-quality motorcycle.”

Taylor’s passion for riding mirrors that of legendary biker, Bessie Stringfield who crossed the country in the 1930s – solo on a motorcycle. Born in 1911, Stringfield’s life comes to life on the pages of the 1993 book Hear Me Roar: Women, Motorcycles and the Rapture of the Road written by Stringfield’s protégé and eventual biographer Ann Ferrar. Stringfield eventually became the first Black woman to ride a motorcycle in every one of the connected 48 states—a solo cross-country ride she undertook eight times during her lifetime, as well as riding abroad in Haiti, Brazil, and parts of Europe.

As reported in a 2018 Motorcycle Industry Council study, female motorcycle ownership doubled in the U.S. in the last decade, with nearly one in five motorcycle riders being female. Among African-American motorcycle owners, women dominate at 53 percent over men, according to another 2018 survey of American consumers.

The majority of the riders, some of which will be riding Indian Motorcycles or the three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot vehicles, will make the multi-state journey from five states: Texas, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. Other riders will come from as far as California. Riders will either make the joy ride solo or in a group. The 225 riders will bring their mission to the largest African-American female festival in the nation.

“Polaris has fueled the passion of riders, workers and outdoor enthusiasts for more than 60 years,” Polaris Marketing and Customer Engagement & Growth Manager Joey Lindahl said. “Indian Motorcycle and Polaris Slingshot are proud to support and celebrate the growing national sisterhood of riders as they blaze new trails in the industry.

“Women continue to break barriers and defy stereotypes in motorcycling, and the sport has brought us together like never before,” Taylor said. “Our fellow biker sisters come from all walks of life. We work in boardrooms and classrooms across the nation but on the free road, we are one. We are a family.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

Published

4 days ago

January 2, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Activism

Big God Ministry Gives Away Toys in Marin City

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Published

1 week ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

From top left: Pastor David Hall asking the children what they want to be when they grow up. Worship team Jake Monaghan, Ruby Friedman, and Keri Carpenter. Children lining up to receive their presents. Photos by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

Big God Ministries, pastored by David Hall, gave toys to the children in Marin City on Monday, Dec. 15, on the lawn near the corner of Drake Avenue and Donahue Street.

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Around 75 parents and children were there to receive the presents, which consisted mainly of Gideon Bibles, Cat in the Hat pillows, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, and Lego building sets.

A half dozen volunteers from the Big God Ministry, including Donnie Roary, helped to set up the tables for the toy giveaway. The worship music was sung by Ruby Friedman, Keri Carpenter, and Jake Monaghan, who also played the accordion.

Big God Ministries meets on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA Their phone number is (415) 797-2567.

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Advice

BOOK REVIEW: Let Me Be Real With You

At first look, this book might seem like just any other self-help offering. It’s inspirational for casual reader and business reader, both, just like most books in this genre. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll spot what makes “Let Me Be Real With You” stand out.

Published

1 week ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

Book cover of Let Me Be Real With You and author Arshay Cooper. Courtesy of HarperOne.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Author: Arshay Cooper, Copyright: c.2025, Publisher: HarperOne, SRP: $26.00, Page Count: 40 Pages

The hole you’re in is a deep one.

You can see the clouds above, and they look like a storm; you sense the wind, and it’s cold. It’s dark down there, and lonesome, too. You feel like you were born there — but how do you get out of the deep hole you’re in? You read the new book “Let Me Be Real With You” by Arshay Cooper. You find a hand-up and bring someone with you.

In the months after his first book was published, Cooper received a lot of requests to speak to youth about his life growing up on the West Side of Chicago, his struggles, and his many accomplishments. He was poor, bullied, and belittled, but he knew that if he could escape those things, he would succeed. He focused on doing what was best, and right. He looked for mentors and strove to understand when opportunities presented themselves.

Still, his early life left him with trauma. Here, he shows how it’s overcome-able.

We must always have hope, Cooper says, but hope is “merely the catalyst for action. The hope we receive must transform into the hope we give.”

Learn to tell your own story, as honestly as you know it. Be open to suggestions, and don’t dismiss them without great thought. Know that masculinity doesn’t equal stoicism; we are hard-wired to need other people, and sharing “pain and relatability can dissipate shame and foster empathy in powerful ways.”

Remember that trauma is intergenerational, and it can be passed down from parent to child. Let your mentors see your potential. Get therapy, if you need it; there’s no shame in it, and it will help, if you learn to trust it. Enjoy the outdoors when you can. Learn self-control. Give back to your community. Respect your financial wellness. Embrace your intelligence. Pick your friends and relationships wisely. “Do it afraid.”

And finally, remember that “You were born to soar to great heights and rule the sky.”

You just needed someone to tell you that.

With a willingness to discuss the struggles he tackled in the past, Cooper writes with a solidly honest voice that’s exceptionally believable, and not one bit dramatic. You won’t find unnecessarily embellished stories or tall tales here, either; Cooper instead uses his real experiences to help readers understand that there are few things that are truly insurmountable. He then explains how one’s past can shape one’s future, and how today’s actions can change the future of the world.

“Let Me Be Real With You” is full of motivation, and instruction that’s do-able for adults and teens. If you need that, or if you’ve vowed to do better this coming year, it might help make you whole.