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Black cowgirls have been breaking barriers and racial stereotypes

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A quick question to my colleague revealed the following when I asked her what the first thing is she thinks of when she thinks of cowboys: hats, boots, horses and white men. In no specific order. 

Admittedly my thought processes were pretty much the same. The truth is that the images we see of cowboys and cowgirls, particularly when portrayed in the media, don’t provide us with much to go on beyond this. 

But American cowgirl, Tiffany Carter and her crew, which includes Caroline and Dana Carter, are here to change that perception. 

In a video featured on Refinery29, Tiffany says that there are many black cowgirls out there, but because of how the history books were written, and more specifically that they were mostly written by white men, it means that they were never given the opportunity to have their story told.

But Tiffany and co, as part of the Bill Picket Rodeo, the only all-black travelling rodeo show in the U.S, are hoping to make history by becoming the first black women to qualify for the nationals.

Rodeo shows have been part of U.S. tradition for years – from horse-riding and bull-riding, to bronc riding and barrel racing, to mention but a few.  

According to Caroline Carter, who is the general manager of the rodeo show, Lu Vason, the founder of Bill Picket, attended a number of rodeos and never once saw black contestants, although he knew that there were plenty of black cowboys.

And because he wanted to showcase black talent, he then formed the Bill Picket Rodeo show. 

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Today there several black women who all form part of the show.

It’s a hard life, and they face a lot of pressure because competition is so fierce but Tiffany adds that she feels that it’s their duty to get their voices heard since history never bothered to reveal that yes, there were black cowboys who were doing this long after the Civil War ended.

Seeing black women rocking in spaces that have been predominantly white – and being brilliant and capable riders to boot – well, we don’t doubt for a second that they’ll break records and go on to make the National Rodeo Finals.

Watch the incredible video below – you’ll won’t be able to stop yourself from cheering the epic horse-riding tricks featured in the video.


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