By: Porsche Taylor

I am a proud black woman; it is in my DNA. My mother, Willette Dillard, instilled in me a great work ethic and the courage to try everything at least once. There is no other way to exist other than to fully embrace the richness of my black heritage.

I also love riding motorcycles. I first saw a black woman riding her own bike in the film, “Biker Boys,” and it was revolutionary. 

In 2003, I took my bonus, bought a bike, and I have been riding ever since. I love riding. It provides me a safe space to meditate and have my talks with God. It is the source of my wind therapy and with each mile I build confidence. As time as gone on so has my stable of bikes and three-wheeled vehicles. I now currently own an Indian Challenger, Indian Chieftain, and two Polaris Slingshots.

Over time, and as my passion for riding grew, I noticed that motorsports media however, had little to no inclusion of black women. I wanted to celebrate women of color in motorsports and to create a platform for black female riders to have an active voice in the community.

In 2011, I founded Black Girls Ride Magazine as a way to combine my passion for riding and historical research. We are inclusive and celebrate all women who ride. We are also unapologetic in showcasing black women as our main subject. 

We currently have over 40,000 active readers on our blog, newsletter and social media, which showcases not only the growth of women who ride but more importantly, black women who ride.

Black Girls Ride host rides all over the country every year.  We just completed an event celebrating the 57th anniversary of the “March on Washington” where we took off from California and rode all the way to Washington D.C. to support the movement. We celebrate new riders and welcome anyone who wants to join us as we create a global platform, connecting and showcasing women in motorsports worldwide. 

As a black woman in America, equality is the spiritual, physical, and financial freedom to pursue the American Dream. Equality means not having anxiety when being pulled over by law enforcement. It means an equal day’s pay for an equal day’s work. Equality means not having the conversation with my nine-year-old Godson about how to interact with authority to minimize the risk of his life being in danger. When we are no longer forced to have this difficult conversations, that means we are getting closer to our goal of honest equality across all races and genders.

http://blackgirlsride.com