About 45 Black cowboys paraded down Market Street and around DeFremery Park. At the festival, activities included activities for kids like roping and horse rides. There were also craft vendors, food booths, and cowboy hats. Nat Bolden & The State of Mind Blues Band performed.
The first Black Cowboy Parade in The Town took place in 1975, making it 51 years since they started. The OBCA promotes the legacy of the Black Cowboys in the West, a tradition that the organization has been trying to both safeguard and share with Bay Area youth, according to OBCA President Kirk Bailey.
“Our mission is to enlighten the youth about the ways of the West and of the Black Cowboys who worked their way from the East to what was called an ‘untamed land,’” Bailey said. “It wasn’t just Caucasians who moved cattle and found trails and dragged their horses and wagons. It was also Blacks.”
Bailey added, “We’ve been going for 51 years strong and I plan on going for another 51 years strong.”
Photos by Howard Dyckoff.
Cowboy Pete Taylor teaches roping to a girl at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Cowboy Pete said girls learn faster than boys. Photo by Howard DyckoffTwo Black cowboys ride at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffRoping instructor “Dash” at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard Dyckoff
I wanted to see the Black Cowboy Festival, and just to be on a horse. It’s an amazing thing. This is my first time on a horse, probably in 20 years, to be on a magnificent animal like this.”
Zurvohn Maloof
Sign for horse and pony rides at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffCity of Oakland Inspector General Zurvhon Maloof rides a horse at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. “I wanted to see the Black Cowboy Festival, and just to be on a horse,” Maloof said. “It’s an amazing thing. This is my first time on a horse, probably in 20 years, to be on a magnificent animal like this.” Photo by Howard DyckoffA woman takes a guided horseback ride at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffA woman and child ride a horse at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffCowboy hats for sale at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffAngela Patton and her children attended the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Patton first attended as a child. Photo by Howard DyckoffKirk Bailey, president of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association, at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival. “We’ve been going for 51 years strong and I plan on going for another 51 years strong,” Bailey said. Photo by Howard Dyckoff
“Our mission is to enlighten the youth about the ways of the West and of the Black Cowboys who worked their way from the East to what was called an ‘untamed land’.” It wasn’t just Caucasians who moved cattle and found trails and dragged their horses and wagons. It was also Blacks.”
Kirk Bailey, president, Oakland Black Cowboys Association
Cowboy Pete Taylor at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffMechelle “Warrior Woman” at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard Dyckoff
A packed crowd listened to the music of Nat Bolden & the State of Mind Blues Band providing the vibe and beat at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffNat Bolden & the State of Mind Blues Band provided the vibe and beat at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffBooths for crafts and merchandise at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard Dyckoff“Quilted Tapestries” exhibit by artist Khristel Johnson at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard DyckoffTashawn Daniels with Mechelle LaChaux, aka “Warrior Woman”, at the 51st annual Black Cowboy Parade and Heritage Festival at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Photo by Howard Dyckoff
Howard Dyckoff has lived in Oakland for over 40 years and has been involved with many community groups, including Oakland Digital and Oakland Local, Block by Block, the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), and CBE. A Brooklyn, New York, transplant, and an Aerospace Engineering graduate of NY Polytechnic, Howard also attended Laney College, where he wrote for the Laney Tower newspaper and was elected editor. Howard also attended the Starr King School at the Theological Union in Berkeley.
He has served as the Berkeley Free Clinic’s Outreach Coordinator, and also worked as an information technology professional at Chevron, Sybase, and Wells Fargo. He worked in both the 2010 and 2020 Census. Howard has been a regular contributor to Oakland Local and online publications such as TechTarget and Linux Gazette and currently writes for Oakland Voices. He currently does event photography and portraiture around the Bay Area.
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