despite what Hollywood has taught us, 1-in-4 cowboys were Black

curious to learn more about Black cowboys?

"Black Cowboys" is just for you

here's a thread of episodes...

presented in chronological order, they tell the story of America, but seen thru the lens of Black Cowboys

the story of Black America doesn't begin in slavery, but on Spanish ships, riding the high seas

meet Esteban the Negro, or Esteban the Moor, the Spanish called him Estevanico

in the New World, the Arabic-speaking African man becomes a god on earth

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-black-cowboys-77440172/episode/chapter-4-the-first-black-cowboy-79525858/

the Seminole Wars were the largest sustained revolt of formerly enslaved people and their Indigenous allies

Black Seminole chief John Horse led his people from Florida to Indian Territory to be free; and to keep their freedom, led their exodus to Mexico

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-black-cowboys-77440172/episode/chapter-5-chief-john-horse-80161670/

meet Nat Love, the toughest Black Cowboy.

Nat Love’s life was more than just wild horses and gunfights; he was an enslaved man who walked to freedom in the West

his life stretched from the Civil War all the way to the seeds of the Civil Rights movement
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-black-cowboys-77440172/episode/chapter-1-nat-love-the-toughest-77786830/

Stagecoach Mary was a Black woman on her own in the world, who did most of her hard living after the age of 40

she lived with nuns in the daytime, drank whiskey with men in saloons at night

she was also known for her flower garden

a woman of complexity
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-black-cowboys-77440172/episode/chapter-6-stagecoach-mary-80401912/

the most famous Black outlaw from the Wild West era was a Cherokee Freedmen

the outlaw folk hero was the son of a Buffalo soldier and Cherokee mother

his name was Crawford Goldsby

but both the New York Times and his own mother called him: Cherokee Bill
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-black-cowboys-77440172/episode/chapter-2-the-outlaw-cherokee-bill-78115763/

Bass Reeves was the most lethal lawman in the Wild West, a dedicated to justice

as a gunfighter, he was 14-0

yet the image of a formerly enslaved Black man riding around on horseback, with a license to kill, tended to make some white people uncomfortable
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-black-cowboys-77440172/episode/chapter-3-the-lawman-bass-reeves-78461847/

and here are few more books...

some general interest ones, some more scholarly ones, and a couple about Osceola and the other Seminole and Black Seminole chiefs, such as Wild Cat (Coacoochee), Micanopy, Abraham and John Caesar