As the Bill Pickett Rodeo returns, Black cowboy culture sees a resurgence in the Bay Area

It was years ago that the Bill Pickett Rodeo first inspired Oakland native Valyncia Brooks to ride a horse The event which is in its st year as it returns to the East Bay this weekend has for decades highlighted Black American country way of life across the US making stops in several states on its annual nationwide tour Winners of each rodeo have a chance to compete in the national finals in September in Washington D C The rodeo was still relatively new three decades ago when a six-year-old Brooks attended it for the first time with her mom in Oakland where she grew up It inspired a lifelong passion that began with her convincing her mom to enroll her in lessons at Oakland City Stables and has led her to being a finalist in the Bill Pickett Rodeo five times She now lives in Manteca and competes in several rodeo events including barrel racing steer undecorating and breakaway roping She is vying for another finals spot this year in September At finals the top competitors who rake in the majority prize money throughout the year compete so Brooks is aiming for top spots in steer undecorating an all-female event where a cowgirl must remove a ribbon from a steer s back and breakaway roping in which a cowboy or cowgirl ropes a steer bursting out of a chute at this weekend s rodeo Related Articles Photos Rainbows music dance and joyful pride hundreds participate in the th annual San Francisco Pride Parade Weeds aren t just nuisances they re messengers Here s what they can tell you How to get along when college grads move back home with parents More American dads prefer presence over presents for Father s Day Photos Best and worst looks from the Met Gala Her brother Brandyn Hartfield also competes in rodeo alongside their friend Jonathan Higgenbotham all of whom were born and raised in Oakland Though not family by blood to Brooks and Hartfield Brooks three kids call Higgenbothem Uncle Jon and they call each other brother and sister The group will also be joined this weekend by their friend Hayward resident Jamir Graham who will compete in the association roping event We re just a family that has come together We just love roping Higgenbotham explained It s not the norm to have people with horses coming from Oakland The group trains in Livermore at Basso s Arena tucked within the Tri-Valley s rolling hills where the agrarian lifestyle barely escapes the hustle and bustle of highway traffic and dense multi-story buildings Rodeo has reliably been vital to me Brooks reported It just stuck with me and it never died This new generation of Black cowboys is exactly with the Bill Pickett Rodeo was designed to aid and spotlight It is a celebration of our past heritage and uplifting our Black cowboys and cowgirls that stand nowadays Bill Pickett CEO Valeria Howard-Cunningham stated in an interview We continue to tell the stories that have been left out of the history books and the movie theaters of Black cowboys and cowgirls Howard-Cunningham s late husband Lu Vason founded the event over years ago after attending a rodeo in Cheyenne Wyo At the time he didn t see a single other Black cowboy represented anywhere so he decided to showcase the Black country lifestyle in his own event he dubbed the Bill Pickett Rodeo In the rodeo s namesake man Bill Pickett was the first Black rodeo performer inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame Pickett toured the world as The Dusky Demon joining the Ranch Wild West Show which also featured Buffalo Bill and Tom Mix in Though he was a popular draw he was barred from multiple rodeos because he was Black After retiring from Wild West shows and appearing in early Hollywood films he died in at the age of Howard-Cunningham says that for a long time nobody notified the stories about Black cowboys and cowgirls But times have changed Valyncia Brooks of Manteca left and Jonathan Higgenbotham of Oakland move calves down the chute before practicing at Basso's Arena in Livermore Calif on Thursday July Brooks and Higgenbotham were getting a few last minute practice before competing in this weekend s Bill Pickett Rodeo held in Castro Valley Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Brooks stated Black cowboy way of life is on the rise and she s noticed Black people in the East Bay taking a new interest pointing to her friend Brianna Noble who got attention locally for bringing her horse Dapper Dan to a Black Lives Matter protest in following the death of George Floyd Brooks also credits the reach of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association a local educational group whose members are also known for riding horses throughout the Bay Area I definitely see a resurgence of it I think it was reliably there it just wasn t dependably at the forefront Brooks announced Black cowboys have invariably been a part of the Western ranch lifestyle it just hasn t inevitably been known Sometimes she commented being a Black woman on a horse turns heads I can t tell you how multiple people are shocked that I ride horses because I m Black Brooks mentioned I think it s easy to believe that this is just something white folks do Valyncia Brooks of Manteca ropes a calf while practicing at Basso's Arena in Livermore Calif on Thursday July Brooks was getting specific last minute practice before competing in this weekend s Bill Pickett Rodeo held in Castro Valley Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Jonathan Higgenbotham of Oakland chasing down a calf while practicing calf roping at Basso's Arena in Livermore Calif on Thursday July Higgenbotham was getting specific last minute practice before competing in this weekend s Bill Pickett Rodeo held in Castro Valley Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Hartfield her brother and fellow rodeo competitor is one of only a sparse Black cattle ranchers in the Bay Area He lives in Livermore and owns head of cattle and several horses He noted that while growing up the only Black cowboys he saw were in parades He also competes in rodeo events such as unit roping and calf tie down roping where contestants must lasso and hogtie a calf Hartfield disclosed he started riding horses in the summer of at the age of Both he and his sister had played other sports such as basketball football or baseball but they were hooked as soon as they saddled up Rodeo he added has also shown him a more creative place to shine as a minority Black athlete in a predominantly white-run sport I think it s just not so mainstream whereas a lot of people of color when they think of sports they get into basketball football Hartfield noted They don t realize that rodeo is a sport The country life became his calling inspired by his sister s ventures into the rodeo world For him the independence and sweet peaceful solitude of the open land comforted and fascinated him For his day job he works on a cattle ranch in Milpitas which raises cows for meat production Hartfield also raises his own cattle and sells them periodically at stock yards throughout the state Owning and caring for animals he noted has provided him valuable life lessons that have hardened his spirit and strengthened his nurturing hands He hopes that like the Bill Pickett Rodeo he can be a guiding light for other Black cowboys who want to own livestock In California there still aren t a whole lot of us especially coming out of the Bay Area Hartfield noted It s definitely nice to feel like I m a part of making a difference and being a difference-maker a role model for other kids that will hopefully get to know that there are African Americans that are still trying to represent in positive solutions that we can Valyncia Brooks of Manteca from left her brother Brandyn Hartfield of Livermore Jonathan Higgenbotham of Oakland and Jamir Graham of Hayward take a break from practicing at Basso's Arena in Livermore Calif on Thursday July These East Bay cowboys were getting various last minute practice before competing in this weekend s Bill Pickett Rodeo held in Castro Valley Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area 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