What do you hope readers will take away from your book and photographs? The youth program was thriving before the pandemic, and it was suspended as it’s been difficult to find resources. It’s really hard to come up with almost $20,000 a month to keep it running. I think the biggest deterrent is finding the money to keep the ranch alive. What are some of the other challenges the ranch in Compton faces? Keenan Abercrombia rides through the streets of Compton. I think other cowboys around the United States feel the same. Their biggest fear is that they will be the last generation of Compton’s cowboys. The Compton Cowboys, for example, are deeply committed to preserving the legacy of Black cowboys in the city. I think the future of Black cowboys rests on the experiences of the younger generation. I also think that every 10 years or so we are moved by the images of black men on horses in Hollywood and popular culture. I think we are in somewhat of a Black cowboy renaissance. What is the future of the Black cowboy tradition? Urban cowboy communities exist in cities around the United States, from Los Angeles to Philly to Baltimore, and their visibility is increasing. It’s evident that we’re in this important civil rights movement, and I think the cowboys are leading the charge for racial justice. I think this year has really galvanized the cowboys to organize peace rides in Compton, to really speak out against what’s going on in the world.
Black men and women on horses was a political statement that inspired fellow demonstrators. So many demonstrators had been used to seeing white guys on horses, mounted police officers. What was the significance of their presence? The Compton Cowboys made headlines last month when they rode at a Black Lives Matter protest. Keiara Wade and her daughter, Taylor, ride around the stables in Gardena, California. Studies have shown that equine therapy has an incredibly positive impact on people who have experienced trauma and stress. More than anything, it serves as a therapeutic center. People can ride horses and be at peace in a way that it doesn’t happen outside. There’s a lot of dangers outside-police violence, gangs-but inside the ranch, it feels like a sanctuary. It’s a place where the cowboys and community residents can go to feel free. The Richland Farms property is clearly more than just a ranch. As an adult, I came to realize that the horses act as a shield and even armor. As a child, I was in complete awe of the cowboys and how cool and beautiful they looked. The history I was learning in school wasn’t the only factual story. I didn’t really learn about Black cowboys in school, and it was the moment when I realized that there are a lot of different sides to history. It was the first time I saw Black folks on horses. It was a Sunday afternoon, and my mom and I were driving down Alameda Street heading towards the Compton Swap Meet. When did you first find out about Black cowboys in Compton? Members of the Compton Cowboys prepare to ride in the Compton Christmas Parade. “We just need the resources to do this in a big way and put ranches like this one in inner-city environments where there’s a lack of nature, because we see that this model works.” These horses, he added, “changed us, and we think they can have the same effect on at-risk youth everywhere.”Ītlas Obscura spoke with Thompson-Hernández about the enduring role of Black cowboys in Compton and the future of this multigenerational riding culture. “We’re connected to Black cowboys in Philadelphia, cowboys in Chicago, and also with cowboys overseas,” he says at his aunt’s retirement party, which Thompson-Hernández attended. Thompson-Hernández tells the stories of 10 Black cowboys-from Charles Harris, a rider who opts for Air Jordans and a Yankees baseball cap, to Keiara Wade, the only woman in the group who has been riding since she was a toddler.Ī central figure in the book is Mayisha’s nephew, Randy Hook, who dreams of developing a sustainable business model that can inspire the creation of similar ranches elsewhere. His reporting became the remarkable book The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban Heartland, published by HarperCollins in April. Years later, as a journalist, he embedded with them for a year and a half. On weekend drives to Compton, he would see Black riders on the streets and along train tracks. Journalist Walter Thompson-Hernández grew up in nearby Huntington Park. Today, a close-knit group known as the Compton Cowboys celebrate this legacy on the very same ranch Akbar developed. As members grew up, many kept riding, continuing a long and rich history of Black cowboys in the American West. In 1988, Mayisha Akbar created a horseback riding club for local Black youth to keep them away from gangs and violence.
Richland Farms, a zoned agricultural area in the city of Compton, south of Los Angeles, has long fostered a vibrant equestrian community.