| WILLIAM B. JOHNSON THE 1ST AFRICAN AMERICAN |
| HARLEY-DAVIDSON DEALER & AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION MEMBER |
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| ACCORDING JIM BABCHAK WHO WROTE A STORY CALLED "HARLEY'S FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN DEALER REMEMBERING WILLIAM B. JOHNSON", WHICH WAS FEATURE IN THE NOVEMBER 2009 ISSUE OF THE AMERICAN IRON MAGAZINE PAGE 112. THE 1ST TIME JIM BABCHAK MET MR. JOHNSON a.k.a. "WILD BILL" AT HIS DEALERSHIP CALLED "JOHNSON HARLEY-DAVIDSON" IN SOMERS, NEW YORK ABOUT 1969. AT THE TIME "JOHNSON HARLEY-DAVIDSON WAS ONE OF THE OLDEST DEALERSHIP IN THE COUNTRY; HAVING BENN OPENED IN THE 1920s. JIM CANNOT GIVE THE EXACT START DATE FOR "JOHNSON'S HARLEY-DAVIDSON", BUT HE KNOWS IT WAS SOMETIME IN THE 1920s. BECAUSE BILL GRANDSON ALAN HAS A 25TH ANNIVERSARY DEALERSHIP AWARD PLAQUE FROM THE FACTORY GIVEN IN THE LATE 40'S ... EARLY 50'S CONGRATULATING HIM ON THE ACCOMPLISHMENT. TO JIM THE MATH WORKS OUT CORRECTLY. ACCORDING TO JIM IN THE LATER 20s, BILL WAS A VERY EARLY MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOCIATION (AMA), LONG BEFORE AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE ALLOWED TO JOIN. MOTORCYCLE HILL CLIMBING WAS HIS INDUCTION IN THE AMA. BILL WAS A STRONG MOTORCYCLE HILL CLIMBER. PURCHASE THE AMERICAN IRON MAGAZINE NOV. 2009 ISSUES. |
| KATHERINE JOHNSON 1ST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE |
| HARLEY-DAVIDSON DEALER |
| KATHERINE JOHNSON IS THE 1ST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE TO OWN A HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALERSHIP. SHE OPENED HER DEALERSHIP IN HORN LAKE, MS., NEAR MEMPHIS, TN., ON DECEMBER 12 1998. THE DEALER WAS CALLED HARLEY DAVIDSON OF DESOTO COUNTY, INC. ARTICLE IN JET MAGAZINE 4/3/2000 |