The NRG Stadium was packed with occupants on March 7, in celebration of Black Heritage Day at Rodeo Houston. The big event honored the continued contributions of African Americans to Western culture, highlighting the history and legacy of Black cowboys with activities and performances throughout the day.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo kicked off with a musical concert performance.
Before the performance, though, the Rodeo Houston event paid tribute to two Black governmental figures: the late Houston mayor and U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, as well as U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. Turner died suddenly earlier this week due to continuous health complications and Lee died after a battle with cancer.
Black Heritage Day has been a tradition since the 1930s.
Vice President of HLSR, Wendy Lewis Armstrong, said “It was just an idea that we needed to make sure that we tapped into the African-American culture.”
She continued, “To make sure that the rodeo understood the history and the legacy and the amazing things that the African-American community has done and continues to do in Western culture. So I think it’s twofold, one, to educate the rodeo folks who want to educate the community.”
According to KHOU 11, the Rodeo Houston events included cheerleaders, bands, choirs, and Black steppers. The marching band performances from historically Black colleges Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University played together for the very first time in their schools’ rich histories.
Following the excitement at the weekend Houston event, the rodeo season will kick off, and attendance is expected to hit an all-time high over the course of the next few weeks.
In the meanwhile, Rodeo Houston will showcase the culturally diverse heritage of the Wild West while visitors enjoy the entertainment of the weekend.
One attendant, Cardell Bey, traveled all the way from Ohio for Rodeo Houston.
Bey said, “Black people got a big influence on country music, cowboys, and everything, and it’s good to see yourself represented in that way.”
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