The New Black West: Photographs from America's Only Touring Black Rodeo

By Gabriela Hasbun

Featuring stunning full-color photographs by Gabriela Hasbun, 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.

A powerful symbol of self-reliance, strength, and determination, the Black cowboy is a figure commonly overlooked in the histories of the American West. Held annually in cities across the United States, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) honors the historic accomplishments of Black cowboys and fosters a vibrant community dedicated to continuing that legacy. Bay Area photographer Gabriela Hasbun has spent more than a decade photographing this beloved event in the Oakland hills. Her images capture the joy and excitement of performers and audience members, showcasing the daring feats, spectacular outfits, and welcoming atmosphere that make the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo an unmissable experience. In addition to Hasbun's photographs, The New Black West features quotes and stories from the cowboys themselves and a foreword from the Oakland rodeo's regional manager, Jeff Douvel.

A VIBRANT COMMUNITY: The Black rodeo in Oakland is the annual event at the heart of a vibrant community. Couples meet and fall in love at the arena, children eagerly anticipate their turn to compete in the different events—and people travel from all over the area and the country to participate.

AN IMPORTANT LEGACY: Named after legendary cowboy and performer, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo honors the often-overlooked legacy of Black cowboys in shaping the American West. Hasbun's book spotlights the contemporary riders and performers who carry on that legacy, inviting them to share their own stories with the world.

A UNIQUE CELEBRATION: Hasbun has been photographing the Black rodeo in Oakland for a decade, and this collection of her work is a loving tribute to the community that kept her coming back year after year. Stories from her conversations with the cowboys and cowgirls bring her images to life, making The New Black West a heartwarming celebration of an iconic cultural event.

Perfect for:

• Black rodeo attendees, fans, and performers
• History buffs and anyone interested in Western cowboy culture
• Lovers of immersive fine-art photography books

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chronicle Books Digital
• Release date: Apr 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781797217703

Gabriela Hasbun

As a photographer specializing in portraits, Gabriela Hasbun's work highlights the marginalized and unexplored communities around her. Growing up in El Salvador during a devastating civil war, Hasbun learned the importance of documenting the humanity in people others have overlooked. Her fundamental belief in the radical power of storytelling has led her to subjects like Black cowboys, fat activists, queer skateboarders, and the people of the Mission district in San Francisco. At the heart of her photography is a celebration of the complexities of identity and the human spirit.

Book preview

Cover: The New Black West by Gabriela Hasbun

For Matteo

Copyright © 2022 by Gabriela Hasbun. Foreword copyright © 2022 by Jeff Douvel. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781797217703 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Hasbun, Gabriela, author.

Title: The new Black West : photographs from America’s only touring Black rodeo / Gabriela Hasbun.

Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 2022.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021046670 | ISBN 9781797208893 (hardcover) | ISBN 1797208896 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: African American rodeo performers-- California--Oakland--Pictorial works. | African American cowboys--California--Oakland--Pictorial works. | Rodeos--California--Oakland--Pictorial works. | LCGFT: Photobooks.

Classification: LCC GV1834.5 .H37 2022 | DDC 791.8/40896073--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021046670

Design by Allison Weiner and Howsem Huang.

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CONTENTS

Foreword, Jeff Douvel

Artist’s Statement, Gabriela Hasbun

Photographs

Acknowledgments

Foreword

BY JEFF DOUVEL

REGIONAL COORDINATOR

BILL PICKETT INVITATIONAL RODEO

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo—referred to as One of the Greatest Shows on Dirt, and the nation’s only touring African American rodeo—has seen thirty-six years of chutes, stalls, pens, and staging areas. Gabriela Hasbun’s photographs capture scenes that have until now been omitted from visual culture: images of Black cowboys and cowgirls preparing for and participating in the rodeo experience.

From her very first photograph of the rodeo, to her recent images of over four generations of Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo cowboys and cowgirls, Hasbun captures details that tell a story of the pride felt by the person in the shot, many of whom didn’t even know they were being photographed.

Artist’s Statement

PHOTOGRAPHING THE BLACK COWBOYS, 2008–2021

It’s hard to imagine a more powerful symbol of self-reliance, strength, and determination than the cowboy. While the archetypal cowboy is a highly romanticized figure, and one that ignores ugly truths about the cost of westward expansion in the United States—namely the theft of Native American lives and land—still it