MaKe iT BrOwN
Jessie Brown T-shirt
Jessie Brown T-shirt
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Black women played foundational and fearless roles in the American West and rodeo culture. Defying societal norms, these cowgirls mastered horsemanship, broke wild horses, managed ranches, and blazed trails in professional rodeo, forging a lasting legacy of resilience and pioneering spirit.
FUN FACT JULY IS THE NAME UNDER HER BOOT!
Because we are dedicating this to Johanna "Chona" July(c. October 1860 – January 18, 1942) was an exceptionally skilled Black Seminole horsebreaker, tamer, and trackerwho worked along the Texas-Mexico border during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Nacimiento de los Negros, Coahuila, Mexico, she spent much of her life operating around Brackettville, Texas. She is widely celebrated in frontier history for her fearless persona and her highly unconventional, gentle approach to taming wild horses.
Some of the most prominent Black cowgirls and horsewomen in history include:
- Mary "Stagecoach" Fields (c. 1832–1914): One of the most legendary figures of the Wild West. Born into slavery, she eventually moved to Montana and, in 1895, became the first African American woman (and the second woman overall) employed as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. Known for her toughness, she delivered mail across dangerous terrain with a rifle at her side.
- Johanna "Chona" July (c. 1800s): A skilled horse tamer of Black Seminole descent in Texas. She was renowned for her unique method of gentling horses by swimming them in the deep waters of the Rio Grande, before hopping on their backs to ride them ashore.
- Verna Lee "Boots" Hightower: A pioneering cowgirl who broke barriers in the modern rodeo circuit. She made history in 1969 as the first Black woman to compete in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, excelling as a barrel racer.
- Henrietta "Aunt Rittie" Williams Foster (1800s): A tough-as-nails cowhand residing in Refugio County, Texas, known to ride her horse sidesaddle while performing the exact same rigorous ranch work as her male counterparts.
- Eliza Carpenter: A trailblazing horsewoman who, after being born into slavery, became the only Black stable owner in Oklahoma in the early 1900s, successfully breeding and racing thoroughbreds.
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