The American Motorcyclist Association once enforced a strict whites-only membership policy for thirty years.
In short: Founded in 1924, the American Motorcyclist Association has grown into the world's largest motorsports organization. Yet, its history is marked by a long-standing segregationist policy that excluded minority riders for decades, forcing the creation of a separate, vibrant motorcycle culture that thrived outside the organization's sanctioned events.
From its inception in 1924 until the 1950s, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) maintained a formal policy restricting membership to white persons only. This exclusion was so rigid that a 1930 membership application explicitly stated this requirement. During this era, many motorcycle dealerships also refused to sell to black riders, which prompted the development of independent, racially desegregated motorcycle clubs, such as the Berkeley Tigers MC in the San Francisco Bay Area. While most were excluded, some individuals like William B. Johnson managed to bypass these barriers in the 1920s and 1930s to compete in hillclimbing races.
The legacy of this policy persisted long after it was rescinded. In 1995, then-AMA President Ed Youngblood acknowledged that the organization's early segregationist stance resulted in decades of underrepresentation for black motorcyclists at AMA events. To address this, the organization launched campaigns featuring black members like Norman Gaines to encourage broader participation. Today, the AMA serves as the official US representative for the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and oversees thousands of amateur and professional events annually, ranging from motocross to off-road racing.
Beyond its role in sport, the AMA has navigated complex cultural narratives, including the apocryphal story of the one-percenter. The term emerged following the 1947 Hollister riot, with reports suggesting the AMA claimed 99% of riders were law-abiding, leaving 1% as outlaws. The organization now denies having any record of this statement. Today, the AMA continues to influence the motorcycling lifestyle through its magazine, which reaches 260,000 readers monthly, and by managing the Motorcycle Hall of Fame near Columbus, Ohio. While the organization has evolved, its history remains a critical study of how institutional policies can shape the trajectory of a subculture for nearly a century.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: American Motorcyclist Association
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