Cowboy Carter is at it again!
Beyoncé’s “BeyGOOD” foundation has been traveling alongside the annual Bill Pickett Rodeo, committing $500,000 in grants through its Equestrian program, which supports Black cowboys, cowgirls, farmers, and ranchers. Currently celebrating its 40th year, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is the longest-running Black rodeo in the nation and the premier event for Black cowboys and cowgirls. Fresh off of a historic economic settlement for Black farmers who have long been discriminated against, BeyGOOD is now adding to that assistance, helping to boost the Black equestrian economy.
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“At BeyGOOD, we are committed to Economic Equity and our Equestrian program is dedicated to supporting Black cowboys, cowgirls, farmers, and ranchers to create entrepreneurial sustainability,” the foundation captioned a post on social media.
Already, BeyGOOD has joined the Los Angeles and Atlanta stops of the Bill Pickett Rodeo and awarded $25,000 in grants to multiple organizations, including Urban Saddles, Love This Equine and Horse Rescue in Los Angeles, The Black Cultural Enlightenment Society/Black Cowboy Festival, the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition, and SOOFA Ranch in Atlanta. Another recipient of the BeyGOOD Equestrian Grants was 9-year-old Kendall Rae Johnson, owner of Green Heart and the youngest farmer in the state of Georgia.
“We are deeply grateful to the BeyGOOD foundation. We did not know this was going to happen. These resources are going to go a long way to helping us [serve] generations of Black farmers, and this kind of support is really just so foundational,” one grant recipient said.
“This is absolutely a very big surprise. We’re going to take the money and get our kids really fundamentally into agriculture, animals, horses, trying to keep everybody out the streets,” another added.
BeyGOOD is committed to keeping the love going, gearing up for their next Bill Pickett stop in Beyoncé’s hometown of Texas! For more information and to see the full list of recipients, visit www.BeyGOOD.org.
Cover photo: Beyoncé’s ‘BeyGOOD’ Foundation Commits $500K to Black Cowboys at Bill Pickett Rodeo/BeyGOOD Executive Director Ivy McGregor & BeyGOOD Black Equestrian Program award recipients at Bill Pickett Rodeo in Atlanta/Photo credit: @BeyGOOD/Instagram