2023 Best Book Awards Winner in Nonfiction sponsored by American Book Fest
They ride horses, rope calves, buck broncos, ride and fight bulls, and even wrestle steers. They are Black cowboys, and the legacies of their pursuits intersect with those of America's struggle for racial equality, human rights, and social justice.
Keith Ryan Cartwright brings to life the stories of such pioneers as Cleo Hearn, the first Black cowboy to professionally rope in the Rodeo Cowboy Association; Myrtis Dightman, who became known as the Jackie Robinson of Rodeo after being the first Black cowboy to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo; and Tex Williams, the first Black cowboy to become a state high school rodeo champion in Texas.
Black Cowboys of Rodeo is a collection of one hundred years of stories, told by these revolutionary Black pioneers themselves and set against the backdrop of Reconstruction, Jim Crow, segregation, the civil rights movement, and eventually the integration of a racially divided country.
Author: Keith Ryan Cartwright
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 11/01/2021
Pages: 384
Weight: 1.6lbs
Size: 9.20h x 8.00w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781496226105
Review Citation(s): Publishers Weekly 10/18/2021
About the AuthorKeith Ryan Cartwright is a communications specialist for the Rutherford County Board of Education in Tennessee, an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University, and a journalist. He previously served as editorial director and senior writer for Professional Bull Riders Inc. and is the author of
Professional Bull Riders: The Official Guide to the Toughest Sport on Earth.
Danny L. Glover is an actor, producer, and humanitarian.