Rodeo brings Black cowboy culture to Portland over Juneteenth weekend

In the grand scheme of things, eight seconds isn’t a long time. But for cowboys and bull riders like Kamal Miller, those seconds can feel like a lifetime. “The goal in bull riding is to get eight seconds,” explains Miller. “Once you get that eight seconds, you get your score and hopefully, you take first place.”

Miller — who has been a cowboy since he was six years old — was one among many cowboys who traveled from across the country to participate in the inaugural “8 Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo” at the Portland Expo Center. The sold-out event — the city’s first Black rodeo — took place Saturday to a crowd of hundreds that brought out their shimmering boots and cowboy hats.

The event saw not only athletes compete in bull riding or bareback riding (riding a horse without a saddle), but also children who gave mutton busting a go — a comparatively more tame version of the sport. Rodeo attendees could also participate in roping lessons or ride a mechanical bull.

Most importantly, the event served as an introduction to the history of Black rodeo. “I think for a long time, a cowboy has kind of been one thing and that is John Wayne… This image of that sort of independent white man in a cowboy hat permeated American culture in a really powerful way and became this untouchable icon,” says Ivan McClellan, a Portland photographer and the event’s organizer. “It’s not true.”

McClellan explains cowboy customs include traditions followed by Mexican vaqueros, Native Americans and Black communities. “There’s such a large swath of diversity in rural America and in cowboy culture,” he says.

McClellan hopes to inspire the younger generation. “A kid will see this rodeo and go, ‘Hey, how do I get on a horse? How do I engage in this culture? That’s the whole reason we’re doing it.”