Iron Elite Jam celebrates African-American biker culture

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary celebration has brought together bikers of all generations and backgrounds and on Friday, August 30th, the Iron Elite Black Biker Jam celebrated black biker culture.

"I'm hoping to experience something I've never before experienced in the biker world. Back home there are very few African-American events, especially for bikers. Here, I'm enjoying myself and just going to take it all in," said Darren Dulaney.

Kimberly Howell says the event is about sharing the history of black riders and showcasing the long history of African-American riders on the Iron Elite display, which goes back to World War II.

"What people don't realize is when African-Americans went into the war, some of them were trained as military police and as part of that duty, they were trained on how to ride motorcycles," explained John Comissiong, Harley-Davidson Director of Market Outreach.

83-year-old Reynold Harris, known to his friends as Sly Fox, has been riding since 1959 and says no other bikes compare to Harley-Davidson.

"There's just something about this bike. The Harley name rings a bell all over everywhere," said Harris.

Those attending said they were thankful for an event they could relate to and learn more from.

"These events we put on, that cater to different cultures, are a way for motorcyclists to get a sense and feel of what biking is like for that culture, and they get to share that with their own neighbor and that's fun," said Comissiong.

The Iron Elite Black Biker Jam runs until 9 p.m. Friday.