The Boley Rodeo Rides High: Where the legacy of the Black cowboy lives on
Photography by Ryan “Fivish” Cass
The annual Boley rodeo is an event where art, identity, culture and community intersect. The town of Boley, Oklahoma, is one of the only remaining all-Black townships and is home to the nation’s oldest community-based rodeos. Hosted every year on Memorial Day weekend, this event is described by Jakian Parks as “one big family reunion.”
“I hope people are more aware of the importance of this Black town in Oklahoma. I hope it shows people the legacy of these cowboys and the hard work they put in to compete in the rodeo. You have to have dedication to be able to compete in a rodeo like this,” says Parks, founder and CEO of Oklahoma Cowboys.
According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Boley was described as “the most enterprising and in many ways the most interesting of the Negro towns in the United States” by Booker T. Washington in 1905. Black townships have been slowly disappearing over the years, but events like the Boley rodeo have kept the legacy and unique history of Oklahoma towns like these alive.
To help promote this year’s rodeo, organizers behind the Oklahoma Cowboys and BlackSpace Oklahoma invited 40 community leaders from Oklahoma City to join them on a “Boley Rodeo Road Trip” to help expose more people to the Black cowboy lifestyle and culture.
“I’m excited that the world is tuned in right now. Events like these are critical to support rural communities,” says Vanessa Morrison with BlackSpace Oklahoma. “Over recent years with the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Oklahoma Cowboys walking in the Louis Vuitton show at Paris Fashion Week and Beyonce releasing her new album Cowboy Carter — they’ve all brought new attention to Black southern lives, and have really catalyzed this year’s rodeo.”
The rodeo is a central part of the Black experience in Oklahoma. “Our goal is to keep people connected to help inspire and resource communities like these, to be able to support them beyond just the rodeo moment,” Morrison says. “These towns are working with little to zero resources, sometimes with no paid staff to keep them going. We are here to help better understand the context, to help support those who are doing so much with so little. We want to know how policy makers can better support those who have been left in the margins. We are aiming to provide hope.”
“The Boley Rodeo is one big family reunion.”
This year, organizers of the Boley Rodeo upgraded the worn-out bleachers, concession stand, bullpens and announcer stand, and enlarged the arena by 50 feet in preparation for the expected influx of new attendees.
“The exposure is major this year,” says Morrison.
The weekend’s activities included a huge parade, car show, food trucks, an art installation by artist collective A Creative House and a star-studded concert line-up featuring country dance artist Electro Horse, Taylor Deneen from Season 24 of NBC’s “The Voice” and Willie Jones, a country artist featured on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album.
Together, these elements create an authentic, inclusive and intentional community experience unique to the Boley Rodeo.
Right outside the arena, the A Creative House team built a shoppable pop-up skeleton barn installation and lounge space that was inspired by luxury retail and performance art. Rebekah Danae and Alexander Tamahn were the co-collaborators on this installation, which featured additional works by artists Swan, Icky and Starboy Uni, who all produced handmade wearable art objects.
Regarding the influence for this collaboration, Tamahn says, “One of my first rodeo experiences was in Chicago at a Bill Pickett Invitational in the ’90s. There is this photo of me wearing a cowboy hat, boots and a track suit — this mismatched aesthetic feels so honest and true to my identity. When I think of Black rodeos, I think of the convergence of Black culture.
“Art and culture in places like Boley and historically Black spaces are almost a phenomenon in and of themselves because of their intersectionality in ways that are seemingly hybrid. There is hip-hop, and streetwear, and there’s like an urban flair, but then it is very authentically infused with country and western aesthetics.”
Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Tamahn reflects on the concept of self-expression and identity. “I love country, but I also love high fashion, and those are two things that you don’t necessarily associate, so embodying this has been a journey for myself. It comes out in these types of opportunities where I can really naturally bring them together.”
The idea of bringing an art installation like this to a rodeo circuit has been one that Jakian Parks and Rebekah Danae have discussed over the past few years, and with the growth of the rodeo this year, Parks thought that “Boley is the perfect place to begin.”
Danae comments, “I’m grateful that Karen Ekuban, who leads the Project 2020 Foundation, was open and supportive of bringing something new like this to a space like the Boley Rodeo.”
The increased passion to bring awareness to the rodeo this year helped attract an audience from all over Oklahoma, as well as New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
“Everyone is going to feel like they know each other by the end of the event.”
Parks reflects on the conversation he had with the mayor of Boley, Dr. Francis Shelton, saying, “I see her vision and motivation to keep this town alive. When you come to the rodeo, you feel welcomed by the people of Boley. It is one big celebration — you’re coming down to hang out with your kinfolk.”
Today, 121 years after its town’s founding, the Boley Rodeo continues to show us the ropes on how communities can not only survive, but thrive. •
To learn how to continue to support the town of Boley, find it on social media @boleyoklahoma. Follow the journey of collaborators on Instagram at @oklahomacowboys, @blackspaceok and @a.creative.house.