As Wilbert McAlister walks around Verdese Carter Park in deep East Oakland, it’s impossible to miss him. He’s fully dressed as a cowboy, from a crisp mustard-yellow long-sleeve shirt to a silver- and gold-plated belt buckle to a cowboy hat adorned with the American flag. On this particular day, the community has gathered for a block party, where some of the Black cowboys who are part of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association are in attendance. It’s not unusual to see them, as they often participate in community events.

Wilbert McAlister

McAlister is president of the OBCA and a staple in the Oakland community. He moved to East Oakland in 1965 from Madera, California, and joined the Oakland Black Cowboys after he saw them riding down Bancroft Avenue. “I would see horses riding up and down the street, and I wasn’t aware of what was going on,” McAlister said. “I saw Black cowboys and Black cowgirls, and I was amazed. Being a country boy from Madera, the only cowboys I had seen were white.”

Popular culture has mostly erased the history of Black cowboys, but back in the Wild West era, one in four cowboys was Black.

For the community party, some of the Oakland Black Cowboys, including McAlister, brought horses and a pony and set up a riding area in the back of the park for kids to ride. As McAlister walks through the crowd to get to the horses, he’s constantly stopped by folks who want to chat with him — people he has known for years and little kids who are curious about his ensemble. Others thank him for the work the association does. McAlister also introduces himself to a handful of bystanders who don’t know about his organization.

Popular culture has mostly erased the history of Black cowboys, but back in the Wild West era, one in four cowboys was Black. More recently, a backlash occurred against Atlanta rapper Lil Nas X over his smash hit “Old Town Road,” the country trap song that took the internet and radio airwaves by storm. His collaboration with Wrangler jeans also caused controversy, with critics calling it “cultural appropriation.” Billboard even removed the song from its country chart in a gesture that was perceived by many as another apparent erasure of the contribution of Black musicians to country music as a whole.

But here in the East Bay, the Oakland Black Cowboy Association has thrived since its inception in 1975, with an annual parade and festival that celebrates the place of Black cowboys in history—a history that stretches back to the 1800s, when freed slaves became part of an essential labor force for ranchers in the northern states.

The lives of Black cowboys were not that different from what popular culture has now assigned to the lives of cowboys in general. The cowboy Nat Love, who published his autobiography in 1907, “moved massive herds of cattle from one grazing area to another, drank with Billy the Kid, and participated in shootouts with Native people defending their land on the trails,” according to Smithsonian Magazine.

The organization was founded by Lonnie Scoggins, an ex-cowboy who rode the range in the Southwest before settling in Oakland; Scoggins also served as the association’s first grand marshal. This tight-knit nonprofit organization has been a pillar of the community for the past 45 years, and its annual parade, which took place this past weekend, is the only one in the United States to spotlight the contributions of Black cowboys. Initially held in West Oakland at Lowell Park, the parade has moved around different neighborhoods throughout the ’80s; nowadays, it’s in West Oakland at DeFremery Park.

McAlister takes pride in the local historical contributions of the association and its two dozen members, which include some of his grandkids. As he’s stopping to chat with folks, his grandson, Elijha L. McAlister, is galloping around the park, hoping to interest some of the kids in approaching, getting to know — and even riding — the horses. For McAlister senior, instilling this often forgotten part of history is as crucial as recognition of the Black Panthers.

Elijha L. McAlister

But even as Lil Nas X has brought forth a tide of interest in the history of Black cowboys in the Wild West, the association is threatened by some of the same forces that have beset many other cultural institutions. At the block party, there’s an endless line of boys and girls who are ecstatic about the chance to ride a horse, but the enthusiasm is short-lived, and McAlister laments how young people are no longer interested in becoming cowboys and cowgirls.

A girl along the parade route

A girl pets a horse at the festival

“I wish I knew the answer [to what it takes to get more young Black people to join],” he said. At 78 years old, he still has the vitality to lead the Oakland Black Cowboys and use his charisma to advocate for the need to keep this tradition alive, but soon, another will need to take up the reins. “We are doing some good things in the community,” he said.

Besides organizing the yearly festival and parade and the community block parties, members of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association also visit different schools in Oakland—and other nearby schools districts as well—to teach schoolchildren about the forgotten history of the Black cowboys. Members also participate in faith-based events organized by different churches, and the organization also offers activities for the City of Oakland’s Parks, Recreation & Youth Development agency. The Oakland Black Cowboys have also joined forces with Oakland native and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard for his yearly Brookfield Park picnic event, held at Ira Jinkins Recreation Center in Oakland.

A cowboy shows off his lasso skills at the Oakland Black Cowboy Association’s festival

Not far from where the kids are waiting in line to ride the horses, an older man takes cover from the heat under a tree. Levy Hughes Jr. is another member who has been with the Oakland Black Cowboys since the beginning. He isn’t decked out like the other cowboys; rather, he’s casually dressed down in jeans, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap. Although he’s not guiding the horses that the kids are riding, he’s keeping a watchful eye and chatting up parents as they get in line with their kids.

Like McAlister, Hughes moved to Oakland from Mississippi in 1963. “In 1976, I bought a horse so my kids could have something to do and stay out of trouble,” he reminisced. Two years ago, Hughes suffered a stroke and has not been able to ride a horse since. Earlier this year, he got rid of his last one: “I miss them [horses] so much, but I can’t afford them,” he said.

“[Learning to be a cowboy] teaches the kids something new. Parents can’t teach them all they need to know.”

Both McAlister and Hughes see the nonprofit not only from a cultural lens but also as an opportunity to keep young kids out of trouble. They believe that getting kids interested in learning how to ride and care for a horse is a way to deter them from the boredom that causes some of them to fall into the trap of hanging out with the wrong crowd or lose interest in school. Along these lines, McAlister and Hughes both instilled in their children and grandchildren a love of riding and caring for these majestic creatures.

A young cowboy

But the Bay Area’s economic landscape is changing, and as Hughes’ situation indicates, living here becomes increasingly expensive with every passing day. Families who are not wealthy often cannot afford extracurricular activities for their kids; the choice is between paying for such hobbies or putting food on the table — an untenable situation. A yearly membership with the OBCA runs $50 a year, but that doesn’t include the upkeep of a horse, which each member has to pay for individually.

“Kids love horses, but you have to be able to afford the upkeep,” Hughes added. “[Learning to be a cowboy] teaches the kids something new. Parents can’t teach them all they need to know.”

McAlister and Hughes hope that there’s a turn in the tide and that the association can spark the interest of Black youth to join. Young stars like Lil Nas X seem to be the key to getting younger people interested in the history and traditions of Black cowboys; the musician’s rise to stardom is the perfect opening.

As the Black population shrinks in Oakland, the Oakland Black Cowboys are here to continue reclaiming a neglected part of American history. It’s a legacy worth preserving.