ESSENCE Author Spotlight: Ivan McClellan’s ‘8 Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture’

By Lynnette Nicholas ·Updated May 13, 2025Black cowboys have existed in America since the 16th century. Black cowboys and cowgirls have long impacted cultures in the south, midwest, and all over the nation, and have played an influential role throughout America’s history and present-day homesteading culture. While this legacy is not often prominent in mainstream media, the success of Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour, and the crossover appeal of the l