Wilbert. Photo by --Mark- (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)The Oakland Black Cowboy Association, a not-for-profit organization, has spent over three decades enlightening children and adults with the contributions of people of color in the settling of the West. This vision continues today with its annual parade and festival. People from all walks of life attend this one of a kind parade and festival which features nationwide cowboys, trick riders, schools community organizations, and local businesses.
In addition to the parade and festival, the Oakland Black Cowboy Association hosts dances, conducts speaking engagements and community events promoting the contributions of people of color to the Old West.
The parade was originally sponsored by the Oakland Museum’s Cultural and Ethnic Affairs Guild in 1975. In 1976, the parade was sponsored by the Oakland Traders, a group of local businessmen. In 1977, the parade has been sponsored and community group Blacks Unified to Motivate Progress (BUMP) and by the Black Cowboy Association. The Black Cowboy Association has sponsored it thereafter. The Black Cowboy Association became the Oakland Black Cowboy Association in 2004, adding Oakland to their name to show pride in the support given to the Parade by the City of Oakland and its citizens.
The Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival was held on Saturday, October 4, 2014!!
Additional Links
- Oakland Black Cowboy Association official website
-
Oakland Black Cowboy Association revives forgotten memories of the American West OaklandNorth
-
Black Cowboy Association Parade and Festival The Post News Group
-
Black cowboys in the West: Interview with Wilbert F. McAlister, Oakland Black Cowboy Association OaklandLocal
-
Oakland’s Black Cowboys Parade celebrates African Americans’ role in the West San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate
-
Oakland author, Ishmael Reed, devotes a chapter of his 2003 book—Blues City: A Walk in Oakland—to the Black Cowboy Parade.
-
On Pinterest for photos of the 2014 Parade
