Black motorcycle riders have always been around, but they haven’t received much attention — and when they have, it’s often been negative. A new exhibition at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art and Culture, “Black Behind Bars,” seeks to shine a positive light on the history of Black bikers. For photographer Alvin Jacobs, who took the photos for the exhibition, it’s also about mental health. WFAE’s Gwendolyn Glenn reports on the exhibition and Black biker culture.
Since 1980, Black Bike Week has been held in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, during Memorial Day weekend, attracting nearly 400,000 people each year.
“I went last year, and it was beautiful,” said Jacobs.
Gwendolyn Glenn: That’s photographer Alvin Jacobs, whose "Black Behind Bars" exhibition opened recently at the Gantt Center. Some of the photos are from Black Bike Week at the mainly Black-owned Atlantic Beach. There’s a much older Bike Week at Myrtle Beach just next door that attracts about the same number of people, with most of the bikers being white. During Black Bike Week, many of the Black bikers stay in Myrtle Beach, and in 2018 the NAACP said Myrtle Beach officials discriminated against them by setting up a multi-mile traffic detour to funnel attendees out of the main drag at night. Police were also accused of using aggressive tactics against Black bike attendees. The NAACP filed a lawsuit and Myrtle Beach officials, who said their actions were safety-related, agreed to pay $50,000 to settle the case. Jacobs and others say situations like this arise a lot where Black bikers are concerned because of the many myths associated with them.
Alvin Jacobs: Some of the myths that I've uncovered associated with Black bikers are that they're not productive members of society, that everyone with a particular style of motorcycle belongs to a gang, you know, that they are outlaws by default. And none of those are true. The Black bikers that I know come from every walk of life in our community. They're CEOs, and there are guys, you know, who are recently unemployed. The culture has nothing to do with how much money you have and has everything to do with how you show up — and showing up makes you the biker.
Gwendolyn Glenn: Is that your personal motorcycle in the exhibition?
Jacobs: Absolutely. That's my first Harley-Davidson motorcycle that I've ever owned. That's Elwood, and my other bike — named after my father and, you know, the late "Blues Brother," is Jake.
Glenn: Two of my brothers had motorcycles, lots of friends, a former principal used to ride a motorcycle all the time, and I thought that was so cool. And I have friends who are women motorcyclists. In your exhibition, you have a picture of Bessie Stringfield. Tell us about her.
Jacobs: There was this young lady named Bessie Stringfield who would get on her bike and just ride — I mean, solo, all around the country, and she became a folk hero in the industry. It was very important to me to highlight and to showcase Black women as well, on an equal platform, because it's not just us, right? We don't do anything without Black women.
Glenn: And Bessie Stringfield — she was the first Black woman to ride cross-country, and she's in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Jacobs: Correct. Yes, ma’am.
Glenn: Jacobs' journey as a biker started when he was young, growing up in Illinois. His father rode motorcycles and was a member of the Brothers Bike Club there, and Jacobs followed in his footsteps. He says riding was a way to connect with his father and is a form of therapy for him.
Jacobs: I've been riding motorcycles for about 25 years or so, but I've been behind the bars of my own mental health prison for much longer. My mother was a pastor, and my entire family is deeply religious, so you don't really get access, you know, to mental health care. You are just prayed for and hope your prayers are answered. I have been dealing with mental health issues and challenges, which is the other aspect of the double entendre of "Black Behind Bars." Sometimes I just can't get it together, right?
Glenn: You mentioned throttle therapy. What did you mean by that?
Jacobs: Throttle therapy is a response to a bunch of studies that state that the more you roll on that throttle, the more endorphins are released. Anxiety tends to do something different in your body. Depression, frustration— things just leave your body, and you're in tune with the ground, you're in tune with the elements, you're in tune with the roar and the hum and the vibration of the motor. There's almost nothing like it in the world. It can actually help you achieve a level of balance while you're balancing the motorcycle, so "Black Behind Bars," it’s almost a triple entendre now, right? It's absolutely about being behind the bars of a motorcycle. It's actually the mental health challenges, and then it's recidivism.
Glenn: Jacobs mentions recidivism because he was hit with a contempt of court order last October by a family court judge — just as he was about to take 10 trips to various Black motorcycle events around the country to take pictures for the exhibition.
Jacobs: I was held for 30 days, so when I was absolutely required and responsible for doing so much — the content for the actual exhibition — I physically couldn't. So what I did was I wrote, and I studied, and I read, and I meditated, and was forced to concentrate.
Glenn: And a lot of the thinking you were doing was about this exhibition?
Jacobs: Almost every aspect was about the exhibition, because I knew I was already behind schedule. So it meant a lot to be able to actually, physically write and plan, and I basically used the time to eradicate most of the inconsistencies in my character — which made the opening so much more free for me.
Glenn: Well, glad you got out to get this exhibition together. Getting back to where we were, talking about myths and stereotypes about Black bikers — this exhibition is not just about dealing with some of the stereotypes, but it's also a lot about mental health.
Jacobs: That part there is almost the most important aspect of “Black Behind Bars,” because there are so many Black men and Black women specifically that need help. But there’s this stigma around getting the help — that it means you’re weak — so that title is so powerful for a reason, because I want to uncover this stigma, right? What we’re going to do is continue to add to the exhibition. Social media is going to be really active. We’re going to be dropping videos and content along with mental health, so we’re going to partner with mental health professionals around the city and around the country to help us along with this journey.
