- WHAT MAKES A COWBOY A COWBOY?

THERE'S A FREEDOM AND MANY EARLY COWBOYS, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF AFRICAN DESCENT; THEY WERE COWBOYS BECAUSE OF THE FREEDOM.

- NEVER KNEW THERE WERE ANY BLACK COWBOYS UNTIL LATER ON IN LIFE AND YOU STILL GET A LOT OF BLACK PEOPLE THAT DON'T KNOW THAT THEY WERE BLACK COWBOYS.

- WE WERE PRETTY MUCH WRITTEN OUT OF THE HISTORY BOOKS.

- YOU DON'T SEE VERY MANY AFRICAN-AMERICANS DOING RODEO.

THAT WAS PART OF THE REASON WHY I WANTED TO DO IT.

I KNEW TONS OF PEOPLE EVEN IN MY FAMILY THAT WERE LIKE I LIKE HORSES.

BUT I NEVER SEE ANYBODY THAT LOOKS LIKE ME RIDE HORSES.

- THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS BLACK COWBOYS.

WELL OF COURSE YOU'D BELIEVE THAT, YOU DON'T SEE IT ON TV YOU DON'T SEE IT IN THE MOVIES, SO IT MUST BE TRUE.

- BUT THERE'S A LOT OF BLACK ARTISTS NOW DIPPING INTO COUNTRY MUSIC.

AND I THINK IT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING.

IT'S HONORING OUR ANCESTORS AND HIGHLIGHTING THE TRUE HISTORY.

- SO THESE STORIES ARE IMPORTANT.

PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW.

AND WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.

[ANNOUNCEMENT] FOR THOSE OF YOU PEOPLE WHO DO NOT KNOW OR BELIEVE IN SUCH A THING AS BLACK COWBOYS, TONIGHT IS YOUR NIGHT TO WATCH HISTORY BEING MADE.

- GROWING UP I WOULDN'T SAY I SAW AS MANY AFRICAN-AMERICAN COWGIRLS AND COWBOYS.

SO AS I WAS GROWING UP I WAS LIKE I'LL DO IT, I'LL FIGURE IT OUT AND SHOW PEOPLE THAT JUST BECAUSE I DIDN'T GROW UP WITH IT OR COME FROM A FAMILY THAT HAD HORSES THAT I CAN STILL DO IT.

STILL DO I I DO ENJOY THE RUSH OF BEING ABLE TO CONTROL A 1200 POUND ANIMAL AND DO IT WITH LITTLE TO NO EFFORT.

IT'S AN ADRENALINE RUSH.

I WANNA RUN AND I WANNA RUN FAST FAST AROUND 3 CANS.

I THINK IT TAKES A LOT OF HARD WORK TO BECOME A COWGIRL OR COWBOY.

PLUS I'M NOT AFRAID TO DO THE DIRTY WORK SO I FEEL LIKE THINK THAT'S KINDA WHAT MAKES ME A COWGIRL.

THE WORD COWBOY COMES FROM THE SPANISH WORD VAQUERA.

VACA MEANS COW AND THAT WAS USED IN EARLY CATTLE RANCHING AND HERDING IN MEXICO AND SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA.

FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS IN NORTH AMERICA BOY WAS USED PRETTY DEROGATORILY TO AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN SO WHEN SO WHEN YOU HAD AFRICAN-AMERICAN CATTLE HANDS THEY WERE USUALLY CALLED COWBOYS INSTEAD OF RANCH HANDS WHICH WAS USED TO IDENTIFY WHITE CATTLE HERDERS.

MY NAME IS ACOMA GAITHER AND I'M THE ASSISTANT CURATOR OF BLACK HISTORY HERE AT HISTORY COLORADO.

I WAS PRETTY NAïVE.

I THOUGHT ALL COWBOYS WERE WHITE UNTIL A LITTLE RECENTLY WHEN I DID SOME DIGGING AND FOUND THE TRUE HISTORY.

ARCHIVAL RECORDS SHOW THAT SLAVE TRADERS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED AFRICAN TRIBES IN WEST AFRICA THAT WERE FAMILIAR WITH CATTLE HERDING.

ONE PARTICULAR TRIBE WAS THE FULANI AND THEY ARE A NOMADIC GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH CATTLE AND THEY WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE AMERICAS IN EARLY DAYS OF COLONIZATION.

SO YOU HAVE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CATTLE DOING THAT LIVESTOCK WORK WHICH WAS REALLY VALUABLE IN THE AMERICAS.

- WE WERE CATTLE WE WERE CHATTEL.

CHATTEL SLAVERY MEANS LIKE CATTLE, YOU'RE PROPERTY.

YOU'RE NOT CONSIDERED HUMAN BEING.

AND SO BEING SOLD EVERYWHERE, A LOT OF OUR HISTORY IS KIND OF LOST.

I THINK I PUT ALL THESE LOCKS ON.

MY NAME IS ELEISE CLARK-GUNNELLS I AM A BOARD MEMBER HERE AT THE BLACK AMERICAN WEST MUSEUM AND HERITAGE CENTER.

WE ARE IN OUR ANNEX.

THIS IS WHERE WE DO A LOT OF OUR WORK, OUR RESEARCH.

THIS IS MY FAMILY, THIS IS THIS MANIFEST THAT I LOOK AT.

AND THIS IS JUST MORE FAMILY HISTORY.

I LOOKED AT ALL SORTS OF DOCUMENTS TO TRY AND RELATE THESE PEOPLE HERE AT THIS MUSEUM TO HISTORY AND GIVE MORE OF THEIR HISTORY.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE SHIPS THAT MOVED PEOPLE.

THIS CAME OUT OF BALTIMORE, THE SHIP WAS THE UNICORN.

THIS WAS 1820 HE WAS SHIPPING ENSLAVED PEOPLE INTO PARIS TEXAS FOR SALE OR THEY COULD BE GOING TO PLANTATIONS.

AND THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES WHERE THEY HAD YOUR NAME.

YOUR SEX, HOW OLD YOU WERE, HOW TALL YOU WERE AND YOUR COLORING.

WHEN PEOPLE SEE THESE THEY'RE VERY SOBERING.

WHEN THEY SEE THE MANY MANY NAMES THAT ARE IN THIS BOOK.

IT MAKES IT REAL.

MUCH MORE REAL.

- DURING THE CIVIL WAR THE HOMESTEAD ACT WAS PUT IN PLACE IN 1862 AND THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION BEGAN ON THE VERY FIRST DAY THAT THE HOMESTEAD ACT WAS PUT INTO PLACE.

SO IT REALLY INCENTIVIZED THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THE SOUTH AND WHO WERE ENSLAVED TO BECOME ECONOMICALLY INDEPENDENT.

SO THE FIRST GROUP OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS THAT CAME OUT WEST, THEY WERE CALLED THE BLACK EXODUSTERS AND THEY WERE PART OF THE EXODUS MOVEMENT AND PARTICULARLY IN COLORADO A LOT OF PEOPLE TOOK THOSE AGRICULTURAL SKILLS THAT THEY BECAME REALLY GOOD IN THE SOUTH AND THEY PROVED TO BE VERY VALUABLE OUT HERE IN THE WEST.

- THEY WERE SENT ON WITH CATTLE DRIVES AND PUSHED CATTLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO FEED PEOPLE.

IT WAS A BLUE-COLLAR JOB AND IT WAS A DIRTY BLUE-COLLAR JOB AND IMAGINE IF YOU WILL DRIVING THOUSANDS OF HEAD OF WILD CRAZY COWS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ANYTHING COULD SPOOK THEM EVEN JUST RIDING A HORSE FOR A COUPLE HOURS IS HARD ENOUGH.

AND THEN YOU SIT IN THE SADDLE FOR MAYBE WHAT?

10 HOURS MAN, LET ME TELL YOU, THEN YOU DEAL WITH THE ELEMENTS.

AND YOU'RE SLEEPING OUTSIDE ON THE COLD GROUND, COME ON BUDDY.

THAT'S HARD WORK.

- THE EARLY COWBOYS DURING THE TRAIL RIDES EARNED THEIR RESPECT BECAUSE OF THE HARD WORK THEY WERE WILLING TO PUT IN.

IT'S THE SKILL OF THE COWBOY THAT RISES TO THE TOP AND IF YOU ARE VERY SKILLED AT YOUR JOB OF ROPING THEN YOU EARN THAT RESPECT OUT OF YOUR SKILL.

SO THE SKILL BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE COLOR.

AND SO RANCHERS HAD COWBOYS THAT THEY, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE OF COLOR, THEY RESPECTED AND TRUSTED.

- BLACK COWBOYS WERE REALLY GIVEN SOME OF THE HARDER TASK LIKE HORSE BREAKING TAMING WILD HORSES, BUT THEN WHITE COWHANDS AND BLACK COWBOYS WERE DOING A LOT OF THE SIMILAR WORK TOGETHER LIKE CATTLE RANCHING AND TENDING WILD CATTLE AND DRIVING STEERS WITH OXEN AND THOSE RIGID HIERARCHICAL RACIAL LINES WERE LITTLE MORE BLURRED.

BUT THEY HAD TO HAVE THIS HIERARCHICAL WAY OF DOING THINGS SO THE TERM COWBOY WAS KINDA USED TO LOWER THE STATUS OF A BLACK RANCH HAND.

BUT ALSO BEING ON A HORSE IT WAS A SENSE OF FREEDOM FOR THEM WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY LOOKING AT WHAT YOURE DOING THERE WAS THAT SENSE OF FREEDOM.

- MANY EARLY COWBOYS, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF AFRICAN DESCENT THEY WERE COWBOYS BECAUSE OF THE FREEDOM TO RIDE FOR MILES AND MILES AND MILES.

♪ (MUSIC PLAYING) - AS YOU CAN SEE I GOT A LOT OF PEACE OUT HERE.

SO I GET OUT HERE AND I'M OUT HERE FOR MOST OF THE EVENING OR AFTERNOON.

THESE GUYS THEY'LL BE GOING TO ABOUT 3 TO 4 RODEOS A WEEK.

IT'S A REALLY TOUGH PROFESSION, TOUGH LIFESTYLE BUT IT'S A PROFESSION AND LIFESTYLE THAT YOU GOT TO LOVE.

- ALL RIGHT WE ARE READY TO GET ON WITH GETTING IT ON.

- BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WHEN I WAS YOUNGER THAN 3, I USED TO BE SCARED OF HORSES.

I WAS INTRIGUED FROM THE WESTERN MOVIES.

THE ROY ROGERS SHOW, CISCO KID LONE RANGER AND ALL THOSE.

I WOULD SEE THEM ROPE THE HORNS AND IN THE HEELS AND AND ITS LIKE MAN, I CAN DO THAT IN FACT, WHEN I WAS A KID, I USED TO HAVE A BARREL.

AND I PUT A PIECE OF CLOTH ON IT AND HAVE SOME ROPE STIRRUPS AND I HAD A BROOM HANDLE STICK ON THE GROUND AND I WOULD SWING THAT ROPE AND PRETEND I WAS ROPING THE BROOM HANDLE.

SO IT GOES BACK A LONG WAY MY PASSION FOR ROPING.

I TRY TO THROW AT LEAST 30 LOOPS A DAY ON THIS DUMMY BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET ON HORSEBACK YOU WANT EVERYTHING TO BE AUTOMATIC, YOU DON'T WANT TO BE TRYING TO UNTANGLE THE ROPE.

AND WHEN YOU FIRST START ROPING ALL YOU DO IS ROPE ON THE GROUND, OKAY?

SO IT'S LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME.

THERE WE GO.

I DIDN'T ACTUALLY START COMPETING UNTIL AFTER I SERVED MY TIME IN VIETNAM.

THEY CALLED IT COMBAT FATIGUE BACK THEN BUT TODAY IT'S CALLED CALLED PTSD.

SO THEY TOLD US YOU MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE COMBAT FATIGUE BUT YOU'LL BE ALL RIGHT, BUT NEVER WAS ALL RIGHT, CONSTANT WAKING UP CONSTANTLY SEEING FLASHES TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET OVER THAT.

SO MY ESCAPE BASICALLY WAS THROUGH HORSES.

A LOT OF HAIR ON YOU HORSE.

I STARTED MEETING PEOPLE ONE BY THE NAME OF HENRY LEWIS.

I WOULD GET OFF WORK AND GO HELP HIM PRACTICE AND HE WOULD HAVE ME STAND THERE ROPE A BALE OF HAY ALL NIGHT LONG.

IN FACT I WOULD HAVE TO ROPE A BALE OF HAY A HUNDRED TIMES A NIGHT UNTIL I FIGURED OUT HOW TO HANDLE A LOOP.

AND HOW TO KEEP THE LOOP OPEN.

THAT'S BASICALLY HOW I GOT STARTED.

- WHAT'S UP, MO?

- NOT MUCH.

-THAT WIND IS GOING.

- I WASN'T EXPECTING ALL THIS WIND I THOUGHT THAT WAS YESTERDAY.

-YEAH THIS MIGHT BE QUICK AND DIRTY.

- I GREW UP ON A RICE FARM IN LOUISIANA SO I'VE BEEN AROUND HORSES PRETTY MUCH ALL MY LIFE.

AND WHEN I MOVED TO COLORADO I MET A GUY THAT OWNED A WESTERN STORE AND TOLD HIM I WANTED TO LEARN TIEDOWN WHICH IS CALF ROPING.

SO HE INTRODUCED ME TO MAURICE WADE.

- I COME OFF MY HORSE.

COME GRAB THE ROPE, AND I GRAB HIM.

THROW IT OUT THERE.

- I FORGOT HE'S A LEFTY.

-TYPICALLY YOU WANT TO TRY TO BE WITHIN THE SEVEN SECONDS TO WIN ANYTHING.

ESPECIALLY WHEN I GOT HERE AND BEEN IN COLORADO YOU KNOW AND IT'S A RURAL AREA.

AND IT'S ONLY ME AND MAURICE THAT PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL RODEO.

SO I GO OVER TO TRACTOR SUPPLY AND THEY'RE LIKE OH IT'S MATT.

WHEN YOU'RE THE ONLY TWO BLACK COWBOYS AND WE ROPE AROUND ALL THESE LITTLE RODEOS AROUND COLORADO.

AND THEY LEARN YOU.

THEY EVEN COME UP TO YOU HEY CAN WE GET A PICTURE WITH YOU?

AND I'M LIKE OH, SURE.

- I JUST TURNED 77 AND I JUST STILL HAVE THIS PASSION AND DESIRE TO ROPE.

MATT WILL TELL YOU I WANT TO ROPE ALL THE TIME.

THAT'S ALL I WANT TO EVER DO IS ROPE.

BUT IT'S BECAUSE OF THE LOVE OF THE GAME.

- [SINGING NATIONAL ANTHEM] OH SAY DOES THAT STAR SPANGLED, BANNER YET WAVE.

O'ER THE LAND OF THE FREE, AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.

♪ (MUSIC PLAYING) - AND THE NAME COMING UP NEXT.

MAURICE WADE, HOW ARE YOU BROTHER?

THIS COWBOY HAS BEEN RODEOING A LONG TIME YOU WILL NEVER SEE HIM WITHOUT A SMILE ON HIS FACE.

THAT IS TRUE.

HE IS ONE OF THE HAPPIEST GUYS I HAVE EVER MET.

GO-LUCKY.

JUST LOVES LIFE.

- YOU DON'T SEE VERY MANY AFRICAN-AMERICANS DOING RODEO BUT I WENT TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT RODEOS GROWING UP AND I WAS LIKE I WANT TO DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE DOING BUT I DECIDED I WANTED TO START COMPETING AND DOING MORE AFTER GOING TO A LOT OF THE NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW RODEOS AND SEEING THE BILL PICKET RODEO THAT IS ONE OF THE ONLY BLACK RODEOS AT LEAST THAT I PERSONALLY KNOW OF AND THE ONLY ORGANIZATION I RUN WITH.

- TONIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IS THE SECOND SESSION, ONE OF THE FINEST CHAMPIONSHIP RODEOS IN THE NATION AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE COORS BILL PICKETT INVITATIONAL.

WITH A SALUTE TO THE BLACK COWBOY.

- TODAY WE HAVE A RODEO CALLED THE BILL PICKET INVITATIONAL RODEO AND IT FEATURES MANY MANY COWBOYS OF AFRICAN DESCENT.

BILL PICKETT, WHO WAS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS COWBOYS, IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WE CAN ATTRIBUTE AN EVENT IN A MODERN-DAY RODEO AS HIS INVENTION.

THIS IS WHERE BULL DOGGING CAME FROM.

- I WAS AT THE VERY FIRST BILL PICKET RODEO BACK IN 1984 AT THE ADAMS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS.

AND FUNNY I DIDN'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ROPING CALVES I JUST WANTED TO BE WITH THEM BLACK COWBOYS ROPING.

- HERE WE GO WITH MAURICE WADE.

THEY TALKED ABOUT THAT RODEO ALL WEEKEND WHEN I WENT TO CHURCH EVERYBODY WAS PATTING ME ON THE BACK SAYING THAT MAN THAT WAS A GREAT PERFORMANCE I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE SUCH A THING EVEN EXISTED.

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THERE WAS ANY BLACK COWBOYS.

THE BILL PICKET RODEO WAS A VISION OF A CONCERT PRODUCER BY THE NAME OF LU VASON AND HE HAD GONE TO CHEYENNE LU VASON HAD GONE TO CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS AND HE DID NOT SEE ANY BLACK COWBOYS SO HE SAID WHAT I WANT TO DO A BLACK RODEO IN DENVER.

HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANY BLACK COWBOYS.

SO HE STARTED ASKING SOME PEOPLE AROUND AND THEN HE CAME TO ME BECAUSE I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT HE KNEW OF THAT HAD HORSES AND DOING THE COWBOY THING.

MAURICE WADE, YOUR LOCAL HOMETOWN COWBOY FAN.

I REMEMBER HIM ASKING ME HE SAID MAN, DO YOU THINK WE COULD PULL A RODEO OFF IN DENVER?

- I SAID LU, THESE GUYS ARE LIKE ME, THEY GOT JOBS, MAN.

THEY CAN'T BE TAKING OFF WORK COMING TO DENVER OVER THE WEEKEND TO PUT ON THE RODEO AND GET BACK TO WORK ON MONDAY MORNING BUT HE STARTED ASKING OTHER PEOPLE IN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA AND HE GOT A GROUP OF COWBOYS TOGETHER AND HE BROUGHT THE BILL PICKET RODEO TO DENVER COLORADO.

PLEASE WELCOME MR.

DANNY GLOVER.

- THIS WAS THE FIRST RODEO THAT BLACK FOLKS HERE IN DENVER EVER SEEN.

AND IT WAS ELECTRIC.

THAT FIRST BAREBACK HORSE CAME OUT AND I REMEMBER THE BAREBACK RIDER.

HIS NAME WAS STEVE WHITECALL.

COW WENT CRAZY.

I MEAN THEY NEVER SAW A BLACK MAN SPUR A HORSE LIKE THAT.

IN FACT, THEY'D NEVER SAW A BLACK MAN SIT A BUCKING HORSE.

AND MAN THAT RODEO WAS WILD FROM START TO END.

I'M TELLING YOU.

- THE BILL PICKET RODEOS ARE DEFINITELY MORE UPBEAT.

I NOTICED THEY'RE HIGHER ENERGY AND THEY ATTRACT A LOT OF DIFFERENT CROWDS.

SO IT'S NICE TO SEE ON MLK DAY THAT YOU HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF PEOPLE THAT COME IN AND ARE INTERESTED IN SEEING HORSES AND THE RIDERS.

ONE THING I LIKED ABOUT THE BLACK RODEO IS AS I WAS GROWING UP I WAS LIKE OH, OKAY SO THERE ARE OTHER BLACK PEOPLE THAT ARE ABLE TO DO THIS AND IT'S NICE BEING ABLE TO TALK TO AND BE AROUND THE PEOPLE THAT I DID WATCH GROWING UP AND SEEING THEM I'M LIKE I WATCHED YOU WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND STUFF NOW I'M RUNNING AGAINST YOU IT'S REALLY CRAZY TO SEE.

- YOU HAVE TO SEE YOURSELF THERE.

IF KIDS DON'T SEE THEMSELVES THERE IT DON'T MATTER WHAT COLOR YOU ARE IF YOU DON'T SEE YOURSELF THERE OR SOMEONE THAT LOOKS LIKE YOU THAT'S DOING IT THEN IT'S KIND OF HARD TO IMAGINE YOURSELF DOING THAT.

- THE BILL PICKET RODEO HAS BEEN TRAVELING ACROSS THE COUNTRY NOW FOR 40 YEARS AND EVEN TO THIS DAY A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL COME UP TO US COWBOYS AND SAY I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS ANY BLACK COWBOYS.

WE WERE WRITTEN OUT OF HISTORY BOOKS, HOLLYWOOD WROTE US OUT.

- THE MID-18 TO MID-1900S WAS WHEN WE REALLY GET THIS IDEA OF THE COWBOY AND THAT WAS THROUGH DIME NOVELS, POSTERS ILLUSTRATIONS, PLAYS, TV SHOWS, MOVIES.

YOU JUST HAVE TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH AND FIGURE OUT THEY SKEWED THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE COWBOY.

-I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT BUT THEN IT KIND OF DAWNED ON ME WOW THEY DON'T HAVE BLACK COWBOYS ON TV.

- HOLLYWOOD REALLY GLAMORIZED COWBOYS, THEY MADE COWBOY FAMOUS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN COWBOYS ARE A THING TO BE.

AS A RESULT THE BILL PICKET RODEO THE ORIGINAL BILL PICKETT COWBOYS WE WERE IN TWO FEATURED FILMS.

WHEN THESE FILMS SETS NEEDED SOME BLACK COWBOYS THEY REACHED OUT TO LU VASON FOR BLACK COWBOYS TO SHOOT THOSE FILMS.

(MUSIC) - OF COURSE THE COWBOY IS HAVING THIS RENAISSANCE MOMENT RIGHT NOW AND I'M SO HERE FOR IT.

WE'VE SEEN A LOT MORE WHEN IT COMES TO BLACK COWBOYS AND STUFF LIKE THAT AND DIFFERENT ARTISTS AND EVERYTHING COMING OUT WITH COUNTRY MUSIC.

- AND THE GRAMMY GOES TO COWBOY CARTER!

- BEYONCÉ'S RECENTLY GRAMMY AWARDED ALBUM COWBOY CARTER WHERE SHE HAS A LOT OF VISUAL ELEMENTS THAT PAY HOMAGE TO BLACK COWBOYS.

SHABOOZEY OF COURSE AND LIL NAS X YOU SEE THESE NEW TV SHOWS LIKE THE BASS BASS REEVES TV SHOW ON THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN LAWMEN, AND I LOVE THAT ART IS AT THE CENTER OF IT I THINK ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO REALLY EXPLORE THESE HISTORIES AND SHOW IT THROUGH DIFFERENT MEDIUMS IS A GREAT WAY TO GET THE WORD OUT.

- ART GIVES YOU A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE.

ART LIVES, THE IMAGE LIVES UNDER THE SURFACE AND WHATEVER THE ARTIST IS DEPICTING THE THINGS THAT COME OUT TO THE VIEWER THAT IS TOUCHING THEIR SOUL AND THEIR HEART IN WAYS THAT NOTHING ELSE TOUCHES THEM.

MY NAME IS THOMAS BLACKSHEAR AND I'M AN ARTIST.

2017 THE GENE AUTRY MUSEUM SHOW OPENS UP AND I MEET THESE PEOPLE THAT I'VE SEEN IN MAGAZINES ALL FAMOUS ARTISTS AND THE THE INCREDIBLE WORK THEY WERE DOING AND I SAID TO MYSELF OKAY, NOW HOW AM I GOING TO STAND OUT?

HIS NAME IS CHRIS CARTER.

I JUST GO THROUGH, DIFFERENT DARNKESSES JUST SO I CAN SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE SHADOW.

AND THEN I JUST PUT IT ALL TOGETHER TO MAKE IT WHAT I NEED IT TO BE.

WHEN YOU PUT SOMETHING THAT YOU HADN'T REALLY SEEN BEFORE IT GETS PEOPLE TO THINK -- IS THIS REAL?

DID THIS REALLY HAPPEN?

WELL, YEAH IT DID, AND THEY WERE THERE.

DON'T EXCLUDE IT.

UNFORTUNATELY THE BLACK IMAGE IN THE WEST HAS BEEN WIPED OUT LIKE IT NEVER HAPPENED.

AND THAT'S RIDICULOUS I MEAN THE TRUTH IS 25% TO 30% OF COWBOYS WERE BLACK.

ART HAS THAT KIND OF IMPACT IN HISTORY AND IN CULTURES.

IT SHAPES CULTURES.

THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO SHOW THE TRUTH OF WHAT REALLY WENT ON AND HELP PEOPLE HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE OF SOMETHING THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE.

ALRIGHT, HERE'S KENNEDI.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOUVE GOT TO DO.

- I LIKE BEING SOMEONE THAT A LOT OF YOUNGER PEOPLE CAN LOOK UP TO.

- GOOD GIRL NOW WERE GOING TO STOP.

EVEN AS I POST THINGS ON TIKTOK IT'S NICE BECAUSE I'VE HAD A FEW PARENTS REACH OUT AND SAY THAT THEIR KIDS DIDN'T THINK THAT THEY COULD DO IT.

I ENJOY BEING ABLE TO OFFER HORSEBACK RIDING LESSONS IN GENERAL RIDING THEM AS WELL AS BARREL RACING AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

IT'S A REALLY GOOD FEELING.

I'M TEACHING A LOT OF LESSONS TO A LOT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN KIDS TOO AND I LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY CAN ALSO SEE THAT I DID IT SO THEY'RE LIKE OH IT'S NOT OUT OF REACH FOR ME.

- COWBOYS HAVE THE SAME PASSION.

OKAY?

IT'S LIKE, MAN.

I LOVE THIS SPORT.

I WANT TO DO THE SPORT AND IF YOU'VE GOT THAT KIND OF PASSION YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT DONE.

♪ (MUSIC PLAYING) [ANNOUNCER AT RODEO] - AND YOU STILL GOT A LOT OF BLACK PEOPLE THAT DON'T KNOW THAT THERE WERE BLACK COWBOYS.

SO I LIKE TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF COWBOYS.

WE NEED ALL THIS HISTORY BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT.

AND A LOT OF STUFF IS BEGINNING TO HAPPEN NOW WHEN THEY ATTACK DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUITY.

THATS NOTHING BUT WRITING US OUT OF THE BOOKS.

-TELLING PEOPLE THE TRUE HISTORY ALLOWING PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEIR ANCESTORS WERE PART OF COUNTRY FROM A VERY VERY LONG TIME AGO, SPECIFICALLY IN TIMES LIKE THESE, I THINK HAVING THAT BEAUTIFUL DIVERSE HISTORY SHOWN IS A WAY TO COMBAT THIS OPPRESSION AND ERASURE OF THE TRUE HISTORY.

- AMERICA WOULDN'T BE AMERICA.

IF IT WASN'T FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED BUILD IT.

AND SO YOU'RE ONLY GETTING PART OF THE STORY IF YOU'RE ONLY LISTENING TO CERTAIN PARTS OF IT.

YOU CANNOT PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT AMERICA IS.

BECAUSE THEN THE STORY IS DISTORTED.

BUT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE'S HISTORY IS INCLUDED.

SO THE CHILDREN REALIZE THAT BLACK COWBOYS HAD A PLACE HERE IN AMERICA.

♪ (MUSIC PLAYING)