It’s hard to imagine a more powerful symbol of self-reliance, strength and determination than the cowboy. While the archetypal cowboy is a highly romanticized figure and one who ignores the ugly truths about the cost of westward expansion in the United States, namely the theft of Native American lives and lands, he is nonetheless become synonymous with traits we almost universally admire. And while the cowboy archetype is almost always portrayed as white, in reality, no one embodies these admirable traits better than the black cowboys who helped shape the culture of the American West.

According to the late historian William Loren Katz, whose book The black west tackles the whitewashed mythology of the American frontier, people of African descent “trodden every wild path – as scouts and scouts, slave fugitives and fur trappers, missionaries and soldiers, schoolteachers and entrepreneurs , lawyers and members of Native American nations”. Although their stories are largely untold, more than eight thousand black cowboys participated in western cattle drives in the late 1860s. It is my privilege to introduce you to the men and women who perpetuate their legacy today.

Since 2008, I’ve been filming black cowboys in the San Francisco Bay Area at the annual Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. Families who return to the rodeo each year come to support each other and fellow competitors. It’s a testament to their commitment not just to the sport, but to their community. The bonds that are forged at the rodeo are undeniably strong. As cowboy Jamir Graham told me recently, “My rodeo team is my family.”

[photo above] Joseph “Dugga” Matthews (far right) stands on his horse in 2008 with a group of Stockton, California riders who are part of the Brotherhood Riders. Dugga is a horse trainer, farrier and veterinarian. He came to the United States from Antigua in 1998 and has been attending BPIR ever since.⋅

It was the intimate moments behind the scenes, the quiet time riders share with their horses before a competition, and the relaxed atmosphere at the end of the rodeo that inspired me to document competitors and participants many years ago. . The beauty of the bonds they have forged – with the horses and with the other riders – continues to amaze me. The intimacy, trust and understanding are palpable both on and off camera.

[photo above] Atlanta mother and daughter cowgirls Adrian Vance and Ronnie Franks (in red) sit backstage, where contestants watch the show in the arena. “The Black Rodeo is a celebration of African American history and culture. We ride on behalf of those who haven’t had the opportunity,” says Ronnie, thirteen years after this photo was taken in 2008. “Lu [Vason, BPIR founder] would have been proud to see this book published. ⋅

The rodeo itself is named after a famous black cowboy. The legendary Bill Pickett was the first black rodeo athlete to be honored in the Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City; he was inducted in 1971. The Miller Brothers recognized his talent in 1905 and hired Pickett to travel with them as a performer and exhibitionist on their 101 Ranch Wild West Show. Pickett was famous for grabbing a steer’s lip with his teeth – a feat known as bulldogging, as that’s what bulldogs would do when herding steers – and became well known for being a horseman fearless and skilful. At the time, Pickett did not participate in rodeos, as black cowboys were not allowed to participate in the main rodeo and had to compete after the crowd left. But at the Wild West Show, people from all over the world came to admire his bulldog and bull riding skills as part of the show. The audience didn’t seem to care that Pickett was black. They were fascinated by his talents.

[photo above] Iyauna Austin wears a tailored skirt at the BPIR 35th Anniversary Rodeo in Oakland in 2019. “My grandmother, Juanita Brown, and I wore the African print skirt in the Black Cowboy Parade,” Iyauna says. “Some people asked us to wear it again to the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, and we did. It’s an exciting experience. People see you on your horse. They can see the hard work you put into your horse to make you look good. What you wear also helps your horse. Your horse makes you look good. And then you have to try to make your horse look good. So that’s really exciting. We’ve been waiting all year for the rodeo , and then it finally happens. ⋅

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) was founded in 1984 by Lu Vason and remains to this day the only black touring rodeo in the country. Hairdresser, concert producer and promoter, Vason became interested in rodeos while attending the grandfather of them all: the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo in Wyoming. He soon realized that there were no black cowboys participating in this legendary production. Upon returning to Denver, where he resided in the 1980s, he began his research at the Black American West Museum, exploring the history of black cowboys, the contributions of African American settlers, and the opening of the western frontier. After more than two years of research and fundraising, Vason produced the first Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo in Denver, Colorado. This heritage rodeo helps educate people around the world about the rich history of black cowboys and cowgirls, and it highlights their unsung contributions to American rodeo culture.

[photo above] Cowgirl Brianna Owens traveled from Houston, Texas to compete in the Women’s Barrel Race at BPIR in 2017. The barrel race is one of two events open only to cowgirls. The other is the undecorated ladies’ steer.⋅

The modern rodeo I attend every year at Rowell Ranch Rodeo Park, just outside Oakland, California, is a study in generational change. When young contestants enter this traditional competition, they bring with them new perspectives and new styles. Gucci sunglasses and Stetson hats, cell phones and lassos, Louis Vuitton saddles and Wrangler jeans, it’s clear that something completely new is being forged in the collision of classic and contemporary. And the riders not only invent a new aesthetic, but they explore what it means to be a cowboy in contemporary America, in and out of the arena.

Many cowboys and cowgirls believe the sport has saved their lives, and all recognize the intense discipline required to herd and care for their horses. This discipline requires passion and commitment in equal measure. Brianna Noble, from Oakland, explained: “I’m really so grateful to be able to have such a positive addiction, because I really think that horses are actually, really a drug and an addiction in the most positive sense, you know. They really kept me on the straight and narrow throughout my life and taught me an unparalleled work ethic, and really kept me in all the positive things in my life.

[photo above] Prince Damons, Cowboy Sam and Cowboy Jonathan Higgenbotham parade with their horses at the 2019 BPIR Grand Entry. boys, regardless of their participation. in competitive events. Riders pride themselves and their horses for being at their best. ⋅

The people who gather each year for the rodeo make up one of the most vibrant, generous, kind and compassionate communities in the Bay Area. Many cowboys and cowgirls also run year-round youth programs—Brianna Noble’s Mulatto Meadows, Sam Styles’s Horses with Styles, and the Spurred Up program, for example—that provide inner-city kids with the opportunity to work with horses as a form of therapy. “I’m always looking for the next thing to help these kids. I’m looking for the next way to bring another kid here,” Styles said of his youth program. “Horseback riding is not for everyone. And I know I can’t save every life. But if I could bring one more kid here and keep him off the streets of Oakland, or be able to get him away from what he’s going through at home, in a troubled situation – I mean, that’s just one more child who might have had a different outlook on life.

[photo above] Cowboy Jamir Graham nervously waits his turn to compete in Bill Pickett’s Thirty-Second Annual Rodeo in 2017. This was Jamir’s first racing competition at BPIR. He was sponsored by his youth program, Spurred Up. “I participated in bareback and relay races. I was also the flag bearer with the Spurred Up flag for the grand entrance,” he recalled. “I was born into riding. Growing up, my mother and grandfather competed. So for me, BPIR has always been a big family reunion. ⋅

For decades, these urban cowboys have reveled in the traditions passed down from their predecessors. I got to know many of those who participate in the rodeo, most of whom have a strong network of friendships in the Bay Area. Throughout my twelve years of rodeo involvement, my friendship with cowboys has brought me closer to their communities and families. They invited me to their ranches to see them ride and tend to their horses outside the arena. I’ve taken hundreds of photos over the past decade that speak to the talent, dedication and love of this community. It is a dream come true to share their passion and skills with the rest of the world.

I hope my images will inspire you to follow your own passion and joy, like cowboys have inspired me.

[photo above] Ron Hill Jr., pictured here in 2018, regularly competes in steer competitions at BPIR. At age seven he was the Pacific Coast Junior Bull Riders calf riding champion. His father, Ron Hill Sr., explains, “I met my wife at BPIR in the City of Industry in 2009. We hit it off and created our own young cowboy. Ron Hill Jr. started as a baby riding in my arms around our property. By the age of three, he was participating in rodeos riding sheep. At the age of five, he began riding calves and steers. ⋅

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Extract The New Black West: Photographs of the only black rodeo on tour in the United States by Gabriela Hasbun, published by Chronicle Books 2022.

Top photo: Robert “Cowboy” Armstead, here in 2018, a retired racehorse groomer from Stockton, California, is eager to continue the history of black cowboys in the West. He was Foolish Pleasure’s groomer at the Kentucky Derby in 1975. “Working the racetracks was life,” he says. “Travelling from town to town, town to town, earning all that money. Working the tracks was really good. I like horses. I would do anything in the world to be with them all the time.