For Black cowboys – from inner-city Philly to small-town Texas – horses and riding are a way of life April 2, 2021 8.16am EDT Nick Lehr , The Conversation , Ron Tarver Based on Greg Neri’s young adult novel Ghetto Cowboy, the film’s authenticity shines in its depiction of the rich history of the Black cowboy community in Philadelphia—and the existential threat they face from gentrification. The Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to inner-city horsemanship in north Philadelphia. To do that, they sell merchandise and rely, "We want them to have a sense of value for the environment and things that live and breathe," Hook said. Fletcher Street is populated by stables and Black equestrians who've cared for horses and provided lessons to neighborhood children for a century. “We are being squeezed in by the gentrification of this city,” he says. Ellis Ferrell sat inside one of six stables built by his son in a sweet spot of North Philadelphia on a sunny fall afternoon. They also have a presence in the city of Philadelphia now. 5 likes • 23 shares. "We sit around and have a good time," he said. But another urban redevelopment plan threatens Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club once again. The film also features several of the real cowboy denizens working the stables, with roles that reflect their own lives, while some riders helped shape the screenplay and served as advisors on set. It teaches me responsibilities and how to take care of horses.". “It’s the root—everything grew out from Fletcher Street,” Ellis Ferrell, the 82-year-old founder of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club (FSURC) tells TIME. “Concrete Cowboy,” an urban Western about African American riders in Philadelphia starring Idris Elba, is about an often unseen — and persisting — Black cowboy culture. He runs the club with his son, Darrin Ellis Ferrell Jr., 55. “This was the only movie I’ve ever seen that focuses on Black cowgirls and cowboys. Only Philadelphia would get one. Officials ordered the immediate removal of 40 horses and seized at least two they believed to be sick. is her own life story brought to life on the big screen. (CNN)In Philadelphia, a Black cowboy in a white undershirt and a gold chain wrangles a wayward horse. “Concrete Cowboy” is a father-son drama set around Fletcher Street Stables, one of the oldest and last-remaining of Philadelphia’s hardscrabble inner-city stables. In the past half century studios began populating Westerns with Black actors, including Sidney Poitier in. Clark-Gunnells, a horsewoman herself, said there are numerous organizations and trail-riding groups across the country that help preserve the culture of Black equestrians. It's based. Jocelyn Noveck. Jamil Prattis, who has maintained horses for 15 years, on Fletcher Street in 2017. The real-life, long tradition of urban horseback riding in Philadelphia's Black communities remains strong at Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, Work … The history of the stables exists largely in the oral storytelling of Black riders who continue to support them today. Concrete Cowboy was primarily filmed in the North Philadelphia area, including in and around makeshift stables near Fletcher Street. Later, they worked as jockeys and horse trainers for professional horse races, Hannah Gaudite for Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club. Together they make sure their young volunteers have done their schoolwork, have proper riding gear and warm coats to wear in the winter. Idris Elba as Harp and Caleb McLaughlin as his son Cole in Netflix's "Concrete Cowboy.". "We have a little spotlight area across the street (where) they can go and ride. With the help of a benefactor, Ferrell was able to purchase three lots for the riding club on Fletcher Street, moving into newly constructed stables in 2019 after the filming of, But another urban redevelopment plan threatens Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club once again. Black cowboys roam the streets of Philly in appealing but predictable Netflix drama. There’s an…, What’s Next in the MCU After The Falcon and the Winter…, All Your Falcon and the Winter Soldier Finale…, How Netflix’s Shadow and Bone Builds on Leigh Bardugo’s…. City ordinances prohibit residents from owning more than 12 pets. With the help of a benefactor, Ferrell was able to purchase three lots for the riding club on Fletcher Street, moving into newly constructed stables in 2019 after the filming of Concrete Cowboy, local news organization Billy Penn reported. Concrete Cowboy—which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and releases on Netflix on April 2—counters Hollywood’s white-washed Western narrative by intertwining true stories of the Fletcher Street cowboys into its fictional tale. But in March of 2008, city and animal-welfare officials raided Ferrell’s Fletcher Street stables—an incident that is re-enacted on. And these stories, in turn, informed Neri when he was doing research for Ghetto Cowboy in Philadelphia. In the historically Black Los Angeles suburb of Compton, a group of horsemen is working to ensure the history of urban Black cowboys is not erased. He calls Cole “a pastiche of many different kids” and the adults “representative of the people that I see there.”. Namesake horse El Dog neighed beside him. One real-life rider, Jamil Prattis, plays Cole's mentor in the movie and is a fixture on Fletcher Street. A sk someone what Philadelphia is known for and they are likely to answer cheesesteak, the declaration of independence or the Rocky films starring Sylvester Stallone. In real life and in the movie, the Fletcher Street riders huddle around an outdoor fire on cold nights and swap stories. Historians estimate that 1 in 4 American cowboys were Black but you would be hard pressed to find a … There’s an Important History Behind Her Awards…, What’s Next in the MCU After The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, All Your Falcon and the Winter Soldier Finale Questions, Answered, Yuh-Jung Youn Is an Oscar Frontrunner. The stables that were once scattered across Philadelphia began to close, leaving riders with few places to house their animals. The empty lot across the street from the stables has served as a training and riding ground for the horses—and the set for many critical scenes in Concrete Cowboy. Ron TarverPhotographer Ron Tarver grew up in Fort Gibson, a small town in Oklahoma where horses, cattle and Wrangler jeans were embedded into the rhythms of everyday life. “[The kids] always had the stables to come to after school instead of being on the street and getting in trouble,” Ferrell says. The community continued to thrive with several Black-owned riding clubs across Philadelphia, a number of which were located on Fletcher Street in Strawberry Mansion. There's a long but little-known history of Black cowboys in the American West. A Black mother motions for her young son to look out the window where he sees a group of gallant Black cowboys on horseback, galloping alongside cars and trucks on the city streets. For the past decade, Malik Divers has run a small Philadelphia stable where he trains teenagers to ride and keep horses. Although these classic films largely exclude the riders of color who helped settle the West, historians estimate that. "They are a living testament to a rich history," she said. Ivannah Mercedes, who plays a cowgirl named Esha, Cole’s love interest, is another Philadelphia native who “started riding as soon as she was able to sit up.” As one of few Black cowgirls in the urban horse-riding community, Mercedes says her role in. In 2004, the city seized a cluster of stables in Brewerytown, another North Philadelphia neighborhood, and demolished them to make way for apartments, displacing around 100 horses in the process. In Baltimore and Philadelphia, black horse riding communities are a staple in city folklore and identity. Black horsemen in Philadelphia have been repurposing abandoned warehouses, empty lots and rowhouse shells to stable their horses for decades. This scene comes near the end of Concrete Cowboy, a coming-of-age tale that follows 15-year-old Cole, played by Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin. “It taught them to have respect and responsibility: for the horses, their elders and themselves.”, Ferrell poured all of his earnings as a truck driver into caring for the horses and maintaining the stables so he could continue “keeping kids off the street.” After retiring, he dipped into his own social security to keep the operation alive—a sacrifice that is intrinsic to a quiet, resilient attitude that Ghetto Cowboy author Greg Neri calls “the cowboy way.”. “Concrete Cowboy,” an urban Western about African American riders in Philadelphia starring Idris Elba, is about an often unseen — and persisting — Black cowboy culture. Of the roughly 30 horses housed in several stables along Fletcher Street, his club owns nine. The True Story of the Black Cowboys of Philadelphia Depicted in Concrete Cowboy, a coming-of-age tale that follows 15-year-old Cole, played by, Caleb McLaughlin. The empty lot across the street from the stables has served as a training and riding ground for the horses—and the set for many critical scenes in. But as the town began to gentrify in the 1980s, the city began seizing the property riders had used for years for urban redevelopment. “They say they’ve been there for 100 years. PHA has since broken ground on the Fletcher Street pasture grounds where it plans to build affordable housing for seniors, leaving little space for the stable’s eight horses. They're called the Compton Cowboys, and they started with nine friends who've known one another since childhood. A horse tied up at the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club in north Philadelphia. One unexpected benefit of Black men riding horses in Compton has been little racial profiling by police officers, Hook said. Ferrell launched the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club as a nonprofit in 2004 so that the operation could begin accepting donations for the community work he and generations of Black cowboys had been doing free of charge for years. Elllis Ferrell said those scenes are his favorite part of the movie because they're a true reflection of what happens on Fletcher Street. My father-in-law, a leader at the Western Wranglers stable at 31st and Oxford, introduced me to the majesty of horseback riding. , the film’s authenticity shines in its depiction of the rich history of the Black cowboy community in Philadelphia—and the existential threat they face from, There are various origin stories of Philadelphia’s Black cowboys, but the community is believed to date back to the early 20th century when Black Southerners began migrating north for industrial jobs, bringing their livestock with them. In a years-long land dispute that is referenced in the film, the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) finally acquired the land for $1. "At the stables, the children clean the stalls, brush the horses and bathe them, and then they get a chance to ride them," he said. One of the club's young riders, Hakeem Greer-Gilliam, spends his weekends taking care of his favorite horses, Tiptoe and Babbles. Artist Mohamed Bourouissa moved from Paris to spend time with Strawberry Mansion's African American equestrians. Except for the occasional flashing police car or background housing project or hip-hop song, one might think we are in the Dodge City of yesteryear, instead of modern-day North Philly. He calls Cole “a pastiche of many different kids” and the adults “representative of the people that I see there.”, “They say they’ve been there for 100 years. The history of the stables exists largely in the oral storytelling of Black riders who continue to support them today. … The former truck driver is also an Army veteran. The horses were quietly returned days later after veterinarians determined they were healthy. In a particularly powerful scene, Paris shares an extremely personal story with Cole that is based on Prattis’ real life. On a bus traveling through the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of North Philadelphia, passengers are jolted out of their reveries by a resounding neigh, followed by the clip-clop of hooves. And while his work is playful and competitive, his main motivation, he says, is to better the lives of community members in and around his stable. The stables that were once scattered across Philadelphia began to close, leaving riders with few places to house their animals. They are part of an ancient culture of horsemen," said Eleise Clark-Gunnells, a researcher at the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center in Denver. "This existed in all American cities. That could have been incredible, Staub insists. Although these classic films largely exclude the riders of color who helped settle the West, historians estimate that one in every four cowboys was Black. Later, they worked as jockeys and horse trainers for professional horse races. "There is a struggle to hold on to open land for horses.". Black cowboys and cowgirls exist in other major cities across the country. When riding their horses they rarely get stopped, he said -- unlike when they're driving their cars. "Horses are magical, they just make you feel good.". "When children of color see us ride -- heck, when people see us ride, some are surprised, others are filled with pride.". “The only time [Black communities] see people riding horses, it’s always white people,” Ferrell tells TIME. 'The Basketball Game.' His grandfather was a cowboy admired for his roping abilities, and many of his family members owned ranches in the area. As Black cowboys continued to face down existential threats, they always found their way back to Fletcher Street, the heart of the urban rider community. Others worked as cowboys passing through, herding cattle and helping settle the Western frontier. After the city destroyed the Brewerytown stables, Ferrell moved the horses into makeshift corrals and onto an open Fletcher Street lot. Since the age of 16, Ferrell has been riding horses in Strawberry Mansion. (CNN) In Philadelphia, a Black cowboy in a white undershirt and a gold chain wrangles a wayward horse. Open in app; Sign up. As Black cowboys continued to face down existential threats, they always found their way back to Fletcher Street, the heart of the urban rider community. Black cowboys, contrary to my public school miseducation, are an integral part of US history. Some of the children he's worked with have gone on to become teachers or jockeys. Men and women ride cantering horses down a city street as cars pass by. Sometimes they help pick up the hay and unload.". The movie “Concrete Cowboy” currently running on Netflix, has proudly given exposure to the urban Black cowboys in North Philadelphia and the … Black riders in Philadelphia drove horse-drawn carriages, delivering milk, food and other goods around the city. Others worked as cowboys passing through, herding cattle and helping settle the Western frontier. No matter what obstacles come his way, Ferrell says he has made it his life’s mission to keep the community alive. “The stories that he tells as Paris losing his brother is the story of what happened to him and his brother,” Staub tells TIME. The effect is enthralling. The community embraces the youth and gives him positive role models and a sense of purpose. “I would tell him, ‘Just be present in the moment and say what comes to your heart when you’re retelling the story of your brother.’ It was really beautiful to watch.”. There are various origin stories of Philadelphia’s Black cowboys, but the community is believed to date back to the early 20th century when Black Southerners began migrating north for industrial jobs, bringing their livestock with them. Many other cities wanted larger-than-life cowboys by Remington. I wanted to capture the spirit—I wanted to make sure that they felt like their story was accurate,” says Ricky Staub, the director and co-writer (with Dan Walser) of Concrete Cowboy. When Harp and other Fletcher Street riders in the film gather around a fire, they swap stories of the century-long history of the Black riders in Philadelphia, many of which are based in fact. An exhibition at the Barnes Foundation shows the results. “Everything that happens in that book happened in another way in real life,” says Neri, who is an executive producer for Concrete Cowboy. After the city destroyed the Brewerytown stables, Ferrell moved the horses into makeshift corrals and onto an open Fletcher Street lot. The stables are the bedrock for the neighborhood, providing a safe haven from the challenges many of them face in their everyday lives—and they soon provide one for Cole, too. Once they've done their homework, neighborhood kids head to the stables, where Ferrell finds chores for them to do, leaving them little time to loiter in the streets. "Before Covid, trail rides and rodeos still happened almost every weekend across America.". The horses were quietly returned days later after veterinarians determined they were healthy. They also incorporate equestrian events in after-school programs and field trips, and teach kids how to ride and care for horses. The operations are run entirely by volunteers and local community members, while. Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy Preserving the life, legacy, and culture of Black urban cowboys in the city of Philadelphia and the riders of Fletcher Street Stable as seen on Netflix’s Concrete Cowboy. Support our "Fresh Start for Philly Youth" GoFundMe Campaign Today It means the world to me to be able to have my debut as an actress and also be telling a story that is so close to my heart.”. He said he runs the stables with. Out of the Shadows, Philly’s Black Cowboys Take Center Stage Philadelphia’s African American cowboy culture is a tradition that has been passed down for more than a century. Yuh-Jung Youn Is an Oscar Frontrunner. —which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and releases on Netflix on April 2—counters Hollywood’s white-washed Western narrative by intertwining true stories of the Fletcher Street cowboys into its fictional tale. At the end of ‘Concrete Cowboy,’ these words appear on screen, “The City of Philadelphia is currently developing on Fletcher Street’s land.” Before watching the film, I had only a tiny bit of knowledge, knowing that Black cowboys were underappreciated and lacked acknowledgment when it came to western culture; however, I was … And these stories, in turn, informed Neri when he was doing research for, “Everything that happens in that book happened in another way in real life,” says Neri, who is an executive producer for, . Officials ordered the immediate removal of 40 horses and seized at least two they believed to be sick. The club teaches horsemanship to keep neighborhood kids out of trouble. In a years-long land dispute that is referenced in the film, the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) finally acquired the land for $1. Black riders in Philadelphia drove horse-drawn carriages, delivering milk, food and other goods around the city. After leading several different stables around the city, Ferrell has been a witness and a victim of the near decimation of the city’s Black cowboy community. A member of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club in Philadelphia. Black-owned stables have existed on Fletcher Street for more than a century, and the area continues to be a cornerstone for the Black urban cowboy community in Philadelphia. Like a posse from the old west, the urban cowboys of north Philadelphia's Fletcher Street battle against the gang violence and drugs of a modern American inner city. The Compton Cowboys, Fletcher Street cowboys and other Black urban riders also take part in peace marches, voting drives and other community events. They operate a ranch with 12 horses, and teach the young riders the value of taking care of a living thing. "We decided to move the culture forward by paying homage to the Black cowboy culture that has been lost over the years," said Randy Hook, a musician and one of the group's founders. But he wanted, he told me, “to get away from horses,” and in 1983, he … Saving the Black cowboy culture and community from extinction has become Ferrell’s life work—and he’s managed to find ways to keep the horses safe and the stables open. "Riding land now is filled with condos," Clark-Gunnells said. There was a time, before Idris Elba called, when director Ricky Staub’s vision for his debut feature film Concrete Cowboy—about Philly’s urban riders—was to feature only real people from the North Philadelphia neighborhoods where the city’s Black cowboys live and raise their horses. the city seized a cluster of stables in Brewerytown. Ivannah Mercedes, who plays a cowgirl named Esha, Cole’s love interest, is another Philadelphia native who “started riding as soon as she was able to sit up.” As one of few Black cowgirls in the urban horse-riding community, Mercedes says her role in Concrete Cowboy is her own life story brought to life on the big screen. Jamil became involved with the horses when he was 12 years old, after he saw a group of urban cowboys riding through the streets of North Philadelphia. The founders all grew up in Compton, and believe that horses saved them from a violent life on the streets. Donate To Save Philadelphia’s Black Cowboys. "It's a real community that exists right now and has been part of Philadelphia ... and other urban cities around America for over 100 years,", The movie follows the story of a troubled teen sent by his mother to spend a summer with his estranged father, played by Elba, and his fellow horsemen in Philadelphia. "Our goal is to reclaim a lot of that history, tradition and culture.". help pay for supplies to maintain the stables and care for the horses. "I clean them and ride them around the block," said Hakeem, who is 11. But in many cities, gentrification is pushing out stables and threatening the cowboy way of life, she said -- an issue explored in the movie. Elba said on the "Today" show earlier this month. ASSOCIATED PRESS . “It’s the root—everything grew out from Fletcher Street,” Ellis Ferrell, the 82-year-old founder of the, Ferrell poured all of his earnings as a truck driver into caring for the horses and maintaining the stables so he could continue “keeping kids off the street.” After retiring, he dipped into his own social security to keep the operation alive—a sacrifice that is intrinsic to a quiet, resilient attitude that, as a nonprofit in 2004 so that the operation could begin, for the community work he and generations of Black cowboys had been doing free of charge for years. “We’re connected to Black cowboys in Philadelphia, cowboys in Chicago, and also with cowboys overseas,” he says at his aunt’s retirement party, which Thompson-Hernández attended. He smiles, wonderstruck. “There’s not that many horses because most of the stables are being sold to people or being bought for developers.”. “We are trying to let them know that we also ride horses and they see us riding horses, then they’ll know that they can ride horses too.”. The city bulldozed the makeshift corral and a century-old stable days later, in a devastating blow to the riding club. But you wouldn't know it from reading most textbooks or watching early Hollywood Westerns, where sheriffs, outlaws and other gunslinging cowboys were almost all White. How a group of inner-city Philadelphia kids followed an unusual and surprising path, learning to play polo and winning a national championship. I wanted to capture the spirit—I wanted to make sure that they felt like their story was accurate,” says Ricky Staub, the director and co-writer (with Dan Walser) of. Divers, a Southwest Philadelphia native and the subject of the viral video “The Concrete Cowboys of Philadelphia,” heads an urban stable near the west bank of the Schuylkill River. The city bulldozed the makeshift corral and a century-old stable days later, in a devastating blow to the riding club. "The horse culture in America is alive," she added. Butchie, “Choo Choo” Charlie”, and “El Dog” Ellis Ferrell hang out on Fletcher Street in the summer of 2020. Fletcher Street rider Jamil “Mil” Prattis plays a paraplegic cowboy named Paris, who helps Cole learn the ropes at the stables. He started working with local youth after a stint in the Army. After getting expelled from his school in Detroit, Cole is sent to live in Philadelphia with his estranged father Harp, played by, Hollywood Westerns long ago popularized the image of the sharp-shooting, fearless, white cowboys of American lore. He believes the work helps them build character and self-esteem. on donations for items such as bridles and reins. View Comments. The Black cowboys wear Stetsons, mount horses in vacant urban lots, spend their days cleaning ramshackle stables and regale each other with campfire stories. Log in; Home; The True Story of the Black Cowboys of Philadelphia Depicted in Concrete Cowboy; The True Story of the Black Cowboys of Philadelphia Depicted in Concrete Cowboy. He followed them … Some weekends, they hold cookouts and serve hot dogs. He started riding nearly a decade ago after he followed a group of cowboys on horseback to the stables. A Black mother motions for her young son to look out the window where he sees a group of gallant Black … Landscape version of the Flipboard logo. Updated 1345 GMT (2145 HKT) April 11, 2021. Hollywood Westerns long ago popularized the image of the sharp-shooting, fearless, white cowboys of American lore. Teens pile hay and clean up manure near brick row houses. Teens pile hay and clean up manure near brick row houses. There are various origin stories of Philadelphia’s Black cowboys, but the community is believed to date back to the early 20th century when Black Southerners began migrating north for industrial jobs, bringing their livestock with them. The group's main goal is to preserve the Black cowboy subculture by training the next generation of riders. Could covid lead to a lifetime of autoimmune disease. And when young kids see Black riders navigating the streets on horseback, it'll may make them believe they can do it, too. The operations are run entirely by volunteers and local community members, while donations help pay for supplies to maintain the stables and care for the horses. Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Concrete Cowboy’ on Netflix, a Winning Drama About Black Cowboys Getting By in the Heart of Philadelphia . The cowboys of this urban Western aren’t a creation of the film—they’re based on a real community that has a century-long history in Philadelphia, with some of the real-life Fletcher Street riders making appearances in the movie, as well. Bees buzzed in … https://time.com/5952050/concrete-cowboy-true-story-netflix A year and a half after the 1908 dedication, Remington died of complications from appendicitis. "It gets me out of the house and away from video games. Harp, a rugged urban cowboy himself, spends his days with a community of Black riders at the Fletcher Street stables, where he helps maintain and care for the horses. The Compton Cowboys, with Randy Hook at the front, riding in their city near Los Angeles. In cities like Philadelphia, urban cowboys (and cowgirls) recall a bygone era in which horse-drawn wagons delivered vegetables, coal and other goods. The stables run by Ferrell and Black riders before him became a safe haven for many young people. 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