Gantt Center exhibition explores Black biker culture

KAMRYN HAILEY | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Charlotte photographer Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. stands in front of his restored 2008 Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle at the exhibit "Black Behind Bars: A Journey Through the Culture of the Black Biker" at the Gantt Center.

A new visual exhibit explores the legacy of Black biker culture.

“Black Behind Bars: A Journey Through the Culture of the Black Biker” opened on April 25 at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. The exhibit, captured through the lens of award-winning photographer Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr., “highlights the contributions of Black bikers to the broader motorcycle community and speaks to the healing power of the open road.”

The opening celebration included a public tour of the exhibit with commentary from Jacobs and curators Keith Cradle and Ricky Singh.

While the idea for the exhibit came to fruition last year, Jacobs has been acquainted with motorcycles since childhood. Born in Rockford, Ill., he lived within walking distance to the oldest family-owned Harley-Davidson dealership in the world. His father, Alvin C. Jacobs Sr., was a biker and established his own motorcycle clubhouse in 1977.

Years later, the younger Jacobs used his love for motorcycles to get closer to the man who introduced him to biker culture.

“This is really a direct connection between myself and my father and the bond we share as motorcyclists,” he said.

The exhibit, which features memorabilia from Jacobs’ father, immerses viewers in the stories and sounds of Black bike culture. Prior to stepping into the exhibition, the hum of a motorcycle engine – an “Elwood” 2008 Harley-Davidson Road King – can be heard. It’s Jacobs’ first Harley-Davidson, which he had restored to “capture the essence” of the exhibit.

Once inside the exhibit, which runs through Sept. 21, Jacobs wants visitors to know that it’s not just objects. His work centers people and motorcycle culture.

The exhibit also features facts about prominent figures in the Black biker community.

Bessie Stringfield, the “Motorcycle Queen of Miami,” was the first Black woman to ride solo across the country. Tommy “Tombo” Bolton from Los Angeles became one of the most accomplished drag racers of all time.

The exhibit gives visitors the opportunity to learn about the untold history of Black bikers and their contributions to American motorcycle culture.

The Gantt Center will also host multiple events to engage the culture, including a bike rally, panel series and Family + Friends Day.

Jacobs, Cradle and Singh also led a panel discussion that focused on the motivation behind the project, which Jacobs said has multiple meanings.

“I’ve spent about 25 years behind the bars of an actual motorcycle,” he said. “But I’ve spent 30-something years behind the bars of my own mental health prison.”

Jacobs wants the exhibit to platform mental health because “vulnerability as a Black man isn’t as common as it should be.” With his work, he wants visitors to recognize there is nothing wrong with counseling and therapy. Having the ability to seek help can be transparent, he said.

Along with being behind the bars of a motorcycle and dealing with his mental health, Jacobs was incarcerated during the exhibition’s planning. That time behind bars, he said, was an opportunity to eradicate inconsistencies in his character. The longer he sat in his cell, the more clarity he got. With the help of his community, Jacobs was able to pour back into the exhibition and use his work to spark conversations about belonging, identity and race.

Even if the exhibit is an introduction to Black bikers, Cradle emphasizes the Black community has a deep history within motorcycles.

“It was always there,” he said. “It’s something that we have to continue to see and put forward.”

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