American Western culture is rooted in the Black experience, no matter which way the history books try to spin it.

At the epicenter of Western culture in the United States is Oklahoma City. An often under-told story, the city played a significant role in the rise and legacy of Black cowboys, particularly the post-emancipation of formerly enslaved Black Americans and their migration west in search of land, freedom and work following the Civil War.

The area, formerly known as Indian Territory, is reflected in the fact that today, there are 39 federally recognized Native American tribes in Oklahoma, making the state rank third in the highest number of this group of people, following Alaska and California.

People talk in the stands after the Bill Pickett Rodeo on Sunday, July 21, 2024 in Industry, CA. | Photo: Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Industry, CA - July 20: People wait before the Bill Pickett Rodeo begins on Saturday, July 20, 2024 in Industry, CA. — People talk in the stands after the Bill Pickett Rodeo on Sunday, July 21, 2024 in Industry, CA. | Photo: Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Exploring Black Western culture in Oklahoma City

With opportunity on the line through ranch work and cattle drives, naturally, Black men like Bill Pickett helped to pioneer the Black rodeo tradition, which is still in place today. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, named in honor of the legendary figure, who also happens to be the Oklahoma native responsible for inventing bulldogging, continues to preserve and celebrate Black cowboy culture as America knows and loves it today.

Men like Myrtis Dightman walked so others could run. As a pioneering cowboy and one of the best bull riders of his day, his legacy was recently celebrated on his 90th birthday during an episode of This Week in the West, a podcast broadcast from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City by Seth Spillman, the chief marketing officer at the organization.

Referred to as the Jackie Robinson of bull riding, Dightman currently lives in Houston and has a spot in the National Rodeo Hall of Fame as well as the Professional Bull Riders Ring of Honor housed at the museum today.

His start began on the 4,000-acre ranch where his father worked, and he developed a love for the rodeo, taking on one of the most dangerous jobs in the arena and one of the few opportunities for a Black cowboy during the mid-20th century. At the time, it was known as the rodeo clown, but it ultimately evolved into the practice known as bullfighting.

“So many people are scared of bulls, and the most important thing is don’t be scared of them — if you’re scared of them, you already messed up,” Dightman once said. “And most of these city slickers don’t want to mess with bulls. They tell me, ‘I can’t do it.’ But how do you know? You can’t do it until you try.”

Continuing the legacy through food

People like chef Andrew Black are at the forefront of preserving the legacy of Western culture through cuisine.

A recipient of the 2023 James Beard Award for Best Chef and the first Black man to receive the esteemed honor in Oklahoma City, Black has played a significant role in influencing OKC’s dining landscape through innovative restaurants and ventures like Grey Sweater, Black Walnut, Gilded Acorn, and the recently opened Perle Mesta.

“There’s nobody in Oklahoma doing what I do right now and have the accolades to go with it, you know? And it’s crazy,” Black recently told Blavity in an interview. “I’ll tell you a story: When I was in Grey Sweater, right, which you probably didn’t get to go to, a guy came in, and he said he was told to come to the restaurant. So he came in there and tasted the food. And when they told him it was owned by somebody of color, he could not believe. He was like, ‘Oh, it’s not a barbecue joint; it’s a tasting menu, and this guy’s gonna win a James Beard.’ And then I turned around and won a James Beard for Best Chef. So, you know, it just shows that the conversation is not there, because sometimes it’s expected that we’re gonna do a barbecue restaurant or a chicken fried restaurant. So the stuff in a restaurant like Perle Mesta of the caliber and what it does is it’s getting there, but it’s not like in a big city where it’s the norm.”

For people experiencing OKC for the first time, Black hopes for travelers who look like him to know that it’s OK to step outside of the box when it comes to new food experiences.

“I want them to know that, oh my gosh, there’s a a guy out here in Oklahoma doing it on a big stage,” Black concluded. “The food is not what we expect, in a sense of this, the typical like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a barbecue, it’s going to be fried chicken.’ But more than anything, they’re blown away knowing that they’re having a meal they can relate with.”

Oklahoma City

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