The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas hosted a large crowd of spectators last weekend eager to see Black cowboys and cowgirls participating in the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, the nation’s only touring Black rodeo competition.
Long before Lil Nas X took his horse down the “Old Town Road,” the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo showcased Black cowboy culture across the country. For 37 years, billed as the “greatest show on dirt,” the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo has provided a stage for Black cowboys and cowgirls.
Lu Vason, founder of the rodeo, created it to, “challenge the false perception of an absentee presence of Blacks in the development of the West,” he said.
On Saturday — Juneteenth — the rodeo will be the first all-Black rodeo televised nationally (tape-delayed), on CBS.
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Tre Hosley of Compton adjusts his hat before entering the MGM Garden Arena for introductions.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Cowboys walk single file into the arena at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo on June 13.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Harrel “Junebug” Williams Jr. of Hempstead, Texas, awaits his turn to compete in the junior breakaway competition.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Bull rider Justin Willis holds on as his mount erupts from the chute at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Seconds later, Justin Willis is thrown to the dirt during the bull riding competition.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
A woman gives a competitor at standing ovation at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo on Sunday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Avery Ford, a rodeo clown who performs as Spanky, entertains the crowd at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Cowboys gather around the stock holding pens at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Bull rider Ouncie Mitchell of Houston gets a good-luck handshake seated on his mount before the gate opened.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Jamelle Knight rides a bucking bull at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
A cowboy jumps off his horse and runs after a lassoed calf in the calf roping competition.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Jeremy Burkhalter of Houston grabs a calf by the horns in the bulldogging competition at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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Jeremy Burkhalter of Houston tries to wrestle a calf to the ground in the bulldogging competition.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
A cowboy prepares a horse to be loaded into a trailer at the end of the rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Bull riders take a knee to say a quick prayer before entering the MGM Garden Arena.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Actor Glynn Turnman, one of the grand marshals at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, waits to enter the arena.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Contestants wait for the final of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Bull rider Ouncie Mitchell of Houston in the locker room at the MGM Grand Arena before competing at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
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With temperatures soaring well over 100 degrees, horses are sprayed down before being loaded into transport fans after the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Fellow cowboys cheer on Ouncie Mitchell, winner of the bull riding competition, at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo on Sunday in Las Vegas.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
A bull and rider exit the bucking chute at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Tre Hosley of Compton participates in the finals of the bareback riding competition at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Cowboys watch and wait their turns at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
Jason Armond is a staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times. A native of North Carolina, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a bachelor’s in media and journalism. His work as a photographer and videographer has been recognized by the Hearst Journalism Awards, the White House News Photographers Assn. and the North Carolina College Media Assn. As a freelance visual journalist, his work has been featured in several publications before joining The Times.
The award-winning Los Angeles Times’ photo staff works across Southern California, the state, the nation and the world to bring readers images that inform and inspire daily. A complete list of the Visual Journalism staff can be found on the Newsroom Directory. Recent galleries can be seen on our photography page.
