For slaves, there was more dignity and freedom in being a cowboy than in being a plantation or field worker. Still, it wasn't until slavery was abolished, in 1865, that the white men they once ...

The new Netflix movie “Concrete Cowboy” offers a glimpse into the world of urban Black cowboys in Philadelphia and across the US – and their fight to save their subculture.

The author of "My Daddy Is a Cowboy" on her new children's book, Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter," and the Black joy found in a culture that has plenty of history.

"This is who I am. I was always going to be a cowboy," Callies said, growing emotional. "If God made me white, I was going to be a cowboy. But God made me Black,” he said.

In Oakdale, Calif., many groups of Black horse riders bring their steeds and families, celebrate the traditions of the Old West, and explore their roots with American cowboy life.

Later, Hollywood solidified the image of the white cowboy, completely ignoring the real history of Black cattlemen, wranglers, and trailblazers. Many performed in rodeos but were only allowed to ...

He says Hollywood unknowingly hid the truth about Black cowboys. “My uncle always told me that the word cowboy came from slaves, and the white man was called a cowhand,” he said.

But ultimately, cowboy became "a shorthand for our noblest ideals," McClellan said. "A lot of these things our popular culture is hesitant to attribute to a Black person.

The word “cowboy,” itself, was a racist term for a Black ranch worker. (A white one was a cowhand.) John Wayne’s character in John Ford’s “The Searchers” was based on a Black man.