Classroom Connections: The Black Cowboy Experience

by Julius Lester; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

A Black cowboy is so in tune with wild mustangs that they accept him into the herd, thus enabling him singlehandedly to take them to the corral.

by James Otis Smith

Black Heroes of the Wild West celebrates the extraordinary true tales of three Black historical figures in the Old West: Mary "Stagecoach" Fields, a cardplaying coach driver; Bass Reeves, the first Black Deputy S Marshall west of the Mississippi; and Bob Lemmons, a cowboy famous for his ability to tame mustangs.

by Walter Thompson-Hernández

In this young readers' edition, a rising New York Times reporter tells the compelling story of the Compton Cowboys, a group of African American men and women who defy stereotypes and continue the proud, centuries-old tradition of Black cowboys in the heart of one of America’s most notorious cities.

by G. Neri

Twelve-year-old Cole's behavior causes his mother to drive him from Detroit to Philadelphia to live with a father he has never known, but who soon has Cole involved with a group of African American "cowboys" who rescue horses and use them to steer youths away from drugs and gangs.

*Learn about the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club “producing an alternative to outdoor leisure activity to the community and engaging urban youth in equestrian sports while teaching life skills, instilling discipline and promoting academic excellence.”

*Check out Concrete Cowboy on Netflix, based on the book!

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson; illustrated by Gordon C. James 

African American George Fletcher loved horses from an early age. When he unfairly lost the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up to a white man, the outraged audience declared him "people's champion."

by Sarah Penn; traducción al español, Eida de la Vega.

Surveys the life of Nat Love, African American cowboy, renowned for his riding, roping, and sharpshooting. (Text in English and Spanish.)

* Nat Love eventually became a Pullman Porter. To learn about the history of Pullman Porters, check out these materials. The Pullman Porter strike eventually led to President Grover Cleveland signing the creation of Labor Day as a federal holiday into law and planted a seed for the civil rights movement decades later.

by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr.; illustrated by Randy DuBurke

Describes, in graphic novel format, the life of Nat Love, also known as Deadwood Dick, who grew up to become the most famous African American cowboy in the Old West.

by Joel Christian Gill

Tells the story of an escaped enslaved man, who became one of the most successful lawmen of the Old West and the rumored inspiration for the Lone Ranger.

edited by Bruce A. Glasrud and Michael N. Searles

Black cowhands remain an integral part of life in the West, the descendants of African Americans who ventured west and helped settle and establish Black communities. This long-overdue examination of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Black cowboys ensures that they, and their many stories and experiences, will continue to be known and told.

by Keith Ryan Cartwright

Black Cowboys of Rodeo is a collection of one hundred years' worth of cowboy stories—set against the backdrop of reconstruction, Jim Crow, segregation, the civil rights movement, and eventually the integration of a racially divided country—told in firsthand accounts from the cowboys themselves.

by Tricia Martineau Wagner

When the Civil War ended, Black men left the South in large numbers to find a way to make a living in the Old West. While the story of Black Cowboys has been overlooked in the history books, they played a vital role in the taming and development of the West. This book tells the stories of many of these notable cowboys including Bill Pickett, Bose Ikard, and Jim Perry.

by Walter Thompson-Hernández

Tells the story of The Compton Cowboys—a group of African American men and women who defy stereotypes and continue the proud, centuries-old tradition of Black cowboys in the heart of one of America's most notorious cities.

by Nat Love

A true history of slavery days, life on the great cattle ranges and on the plains of the "wild and woolly" West, based on facts, and personal experiences of the author.

by Gabriela Hasbun

Featuring stunning full-color photographs, The New Black West celebrates the modern Black cowboys of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo and the community that comes together to witness their achievements year after year.

“Zaron Burnett’s dad didn’t want slavery to be his son’s only image of Black people in American history. So every night, he filled Zaron’s dreams with these incredible stories of Black cowboys. Despite what Hollywood taught us, one-in-four cowboys were Black. Their stories tell a bigger, braver, more honest history of America.” [note: strong language is used]

A six-minute clip from PBS’s American Experience showcasing the diversity of cowboys in America beyond the popular image cultivated by Hollywood.

“In 1971, a parade of African American cowboys rode into Harlem for a one-of-a-kind event: New York City’s first-ever Black rodeo. This remarkable, rarely-seen documentary offers a vivid, firsthand look at this unique cultural moment, which, for many of its enthralled spectators, redefined what a cowboy could look like. Among the luminaries on hand are Muhammad Ali—who rides a horse up 125th Street—and western icon Woody Strode, who speaks to the unsung history of Black cowboys in America.”

“The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo celebrates and honors Black Cowboys and Cowgirls and their contributions to building the West. We highlight the irrefutable global appeal of Black Cowboys and Cowgirls in the West and the stories behind a sub-culture that is still strong today. BPIR also serves as a cultural event and opportunity for families to enjoy and embrace the cowboy culture, while being educated and entertained with reenactments, history highlights, and western adventure.”

by Ivan McClellan 

For six years McClellan has traveled across the country meeting Black cowboys at ranches and rodeos, urban riding clubs, and farms. The photos and stories reveal an often ignored subculture that is a part of America's core. 

by William Loren Katz

A meticulously documented look at a lesser-known aspect of African American history is based on the personal writings of the explorers, cowboys, settlers, and soldiers of pioneer America.

* Onsite use only. However, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Public Library have physical copies to lend.