FORT WORTH, Texas — It’s Cowtown’s spotlight on passion, diversity and culture.
On Monday, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo held the Cowboys of Color rodeo event. The event, which landed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, highlighted African American, Hispanic, and Native American cowboys and cowgirls.
For Kevin Woodson, a cowboy and one of the announcers, the event is one of his career favorites.
“It’s a pride thing, heritage, western, yeehaw altogether,” Woodson said. “A lot of people have no idea that anywhere from a fourth to one-third of all cowboys on the western frontier were African American men.”
On Monday, women like College Station cowgirl Brittany Amos competed in the barrel racing competition.
“It means a lot, we don’t have a lot of women in the rodeo,” Amos said.
She told WFAA she takes pride in competing in the Cowboys of Color event.
“It’s important to have it so you can see different people of walks of life and people of color to represent that we also do rodeo,” Amos said.
Amos said the event felt especially important because it landed on MLK Day.
On Monday morning, crowds filled the sidewalks along Commerce St. in downtown Fort Worth for the MLK parade.
The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo has been around since 1896 and currently lasts 23 days.
Along with the Cowboys of Color Rodeo, the rodeo features the Best of the West Ranch Rodeo, Best of Mexico Celebración, Bulls Night Out Extreme Bull Riding and Texas Champions Challenge.
The rodeo also has livestock and horse shows, kid-friendly activities and exhibits, live music, a carnival midway and shopping.