EXCLUSIVE: New Short Film Details The Role Of Black Excellence In The Rodeo
Film Director Isaac Yowman’s new short, ‘Rides & Hides: Honoring Black Excellence’ details the vital role of Black people in the rodeo.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 [Clock Ticking]
00:09 You show you wanna do this.
00:19 I ain't never been emotional.
00:28 You ever wonder if we riding into a storm that we can't weather?
00:33 It's different this time.
00:37 We the only faces like eyes out there.
00:40 And them people, they ain't gonna be too funny.
00:44 You ain't never bothered me none.
00:48 I'm gonna come out that gate.
00:51 Now Murdice, you know they not gonna let no colored folks down there and ride them bulls.
00:57 [Sounds of the wind]
00:59 They were trying.
01:02 They might try to keep you out, Murdice.
01:08 But you got a fire in you that just can't be tamed.
01:13 Sooner or later, I figure we break more than just one barrier.
01:24 You fellas talking about making history, but what about us women who want to make history?
01:29 You know they just bystanders now.
01:35 We can all stand tall.
01:39 You hear?
01:42 Belle.
01:48 You might be onto something.
01:53 [Sounds of the wind]
01:55 Murdice Dykeman's name isn't a household word, but it should be.
02:03 He is the Jackie Robinson of roadie.
02:06 The man who broke the color barrier.
02:08 During the early 60s, when you watch TV, you don't see no black folks.
02:12 It sucks. I say there's gotta be something wrong with that.
02:15 [Music]
02:18 [Sounds of the wind]
02:20 My grandfather was the first black cowboy to go to the National Championship Rodeo.
02:29 In rodeo culture, the National Championship Rodeo is for the top athletes in our field, and it's like the Super Bowl of rodeo.
02:38 The PB Trail Ride was started by my grandfather, Murdice Dykeman Sr., Dr. Point Dexter, and James Francis.
02:47 They created this so that black cowboys could be reflected in the Texas rodeo scene.
02:53 In the 1950s, they all came together and they created this trail ride that has been up and running for the last 70 years.
03:01 Texas has deep culture in this cowboy scene.
03:10 When people say, "Oh, I never knew black cowboys exist."
03:15 I'm like, "Well, where are you from?" And then you have to realize, sometimes out of the state of Texas,
03:18 you wouldn't know that black cowboys are a real thing and the culture is very large and important to us.
03:24 So there are a lot of women actively participating in rodeo culture, but if you're not introduced to it, you would never know.
03:33 Most of the people that are in this world are born into it.
03:36 The next generation is moving the pedestal.
03:43 We have children. We are here to help build them up so they can keep the legacy alive for our grandfather.
03:48 I'm Ada Dykeman. I am the granddaughter of Murdice Dykeman Sr. and this is honoring black excellence.
03:59 [Birds chirping]
04:03 [Cow moos]
04:06 [Birds chirping]
04:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]