[Photo: Courtesy of The Black Cowboy Museum]
The University of Houston has launched a new course for the Spring 2025 semester. Dr. Alicia Odewale, an archaeology professor has decided to bring new life to Black History, focusing on those in the Western part of the country; the course is called “Before Cowboy Carter: Black Towns, Black Freedom.” The course is using Cowboy Carter is Beyonce’s 2024 country album as a way to connect history to modern culture, the course will talk about Black cowboys, freedmen, and Black towns that were created after slavery.
Odewale is a history expert who studies African American stories that most people do not know about. She grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and earned a PhD in Anthropology and is a specialist in African Diaspora archeology. She is the creator of the #TulsaSyllabus which helps people learn about Black history in an easy and powerful way.
Black cowboys made up 25% of all cowboys in the American West. People like Nat Love, Bass Reeves, Mary Fields and Bill Pickett played an important role in shaping the West, but their names are often left out of popular stories about cowboys. Many Black cowboys worked as cattle drivers, ranch hands, and rodeo stars, which contributed to the growth of the cattle industry and the culture of the West. Black cowboys helped create towns like Nicodemus, Kansas. There is a Black Cowboy Museum in Rosenberg, Texas that was created to preserve this important history.
Cowboy Carter has caused a lot of excitement and some controversy. The album mixes country music with Beyoncé’s style, this was not an album that most fans expected from her. Some people praise her for bringing light to country music and Black cowboy culture. Others did not like the idea of a R&B/ pop singer trying her hand at country music. Despite criticism Beyoncé has used her album to highlight history and Black artist in country music. Her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” made history by becoming on the highest charting country songs by a Black woman. Cowboy Carter was performed by Beyoncé for the first time live since its release in her hometown Houston, Tx on Christmas Day at the Texans game.
Black history matters, no matter how it is shared or where it comes from, whether through music, a college class, or something else. Cowboy Carter is a great example of how history can show up in unexpected places. If it was not for Cowboy Carter, Dr. Odewale’s class about Black cowboys and their impact and contributions might have never been created. Everything is connected, a domino effect.
