Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo will be first all-Black rodeo televised nationally, on Juneteenth

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo on CBS will be first all-Black rodeo televised nationally, on Juneteenth

By Shanna McCarriston
Jun 14, 2021 at 12:04 pm ET
1 min read

On Juneteenth, Saturday, June 19, history will be made on CBS at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo - Vegas Showdown, will be the first all-Black rodeo broadcast on national television. The rodeo was run on Sunday, June 13 and will be on at 1 p.m. ET on Juneteenth.

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) has been running since 1984 and was created by. Lu Vason as a platform for Black cowboys and cowgirls. It aimed to "challenge the false perception of the absence of Blacks in the development of the West."

Since the beginning, they aim to educate, as well as entertain, and have traveled to over 30 cities across the U.S.

Valeria Howard-Cunningham, the only Black woman to oversee a rodeo, discussed the importance of the event. She said shining a light on rodeo and specifically on Black Cowboys and Cowgirls.

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How to watch the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo
• Date: Saturday, June 19
• Time: 1 p.m. ET
• Location: Las Vegas
• Streaming: Paramount+
• TV channel: CBS

It has been added to the PBR's schedule. Until this suddenly appeared, there weren't going to be any free, over-the-air broadcasts of PBR until August.

PBR TV and streaming schedule

2021 Bill Pickett Rodeo Schedule

[Journeyman]

1. The first (and only) rodeo I attended featured two exceptional Black cowboys . . .

Between them, they took three or more top prizes and a few more Place & Show. It would have been enlightening, had that show provided more of the backstory, but I'm glad to see the BPIR will highlight the history.

I was well aware of the history and importance of the Buffalo Soldiers in the development of the West, but the sight of Black cowboys was novel, given their absence, or rather relegation to secondary roles, in the Western movies of my youth (this was in the early '70s).

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Here are some other articles at DU.

I saw this video on the local TV channel the other day. I wouldn't have imagined that the competition from Maryland would be that good. I'd think it would be the same thing as being the best high school lacrosse goalie from Oklahoma. "Yeah, but who are you up against?"

Mon Jun 14, 2021: Maryland teen shatters racial stereotypes as first Junior World Bull Riding champion from state

Sun Oct 4, 2020: The Lesser-Known History of African-American Cowboys (Smithsonian)

Mon Oct 7, 2019: Restoring Black Cowboys to the Range

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Scenes from the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

I was out, so I missed it.

Paywall

Scenes from the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

Meet the Compton Cowboy riding to honor Black cowboys and Juneteenth

Tre Hosley will take part in the Bill Pickett Invitational, an all-Black rodeo airing for the first time on network television Saturday.

June 19, 2021, 5:00 AM EDT / Updated June 19, 2021, 7:54 AM EDT
By Curtis Bunn

Tre Hosley grew up riding horses even though his hometown was neither on a Midwestern prairie nor was it a tony equestrian community. ... He grew up riding in and around Compton, California. ... “It’s not the typical thing you’d expect someone from Compton to do,” the 28-year-old said. “But it’s what I love and it’s changed my life. It’s made my life. I love it.”

Two decades after his father first put him on a horse, his life has come full circle. The nine-year rodeo professional — contending in bareback horse riding — splits his time between competing and mentoring young potential Black cowboys in Compton about the virtues of the sport, opportunities in it and its lifestyle. ... Hosley said he has committed himself to encouraging young Black people in Compton to embrace the virtues of the rodeo world because, for him, the sport brought him stability and instilled focus, drive, integrity and social skills. And it took him to all corners of America.

“It’s about showing these kids here that there is another world outside of Compton,” he said. “There’s not a lot happening there. But I can share my experiences and they can learn from it. ... “I know about success, but I also know about failure. It was a rough road for me. But it builds character. I can show them what I’ve learned, tell them about where I have been. They don’t have to ride bareback horses or steer calves or ride a bull to be in rodeos. They can be a timekeeper, work in agriculture, show horses, a secretary. There are lots of career opportunities that can take them away from here.”

Hosley hopes the kids — and anyone watching — will gain a level of respect for Black cowboys June 19, or Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the last enslaved Africans being freed in Texas. That day, he will ride in the Bill Pickett Invitational, an all-Black rodeo that will air on national television for the first time, on CBS.

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