Bucking stereotypes, a Black cowboy leads the way in South Central LA

Bucking¹ stereotypes², a Black cowboy leads the way in South Central LA

Transcript³

Growing up in the South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles in the 1970s, Ghuan Featherstone only remembers riding a horse once as a child. His parents took him riding at nearby Griffith Park when he was eight years old.

But ever since, he's been chasing that sense of freedom and power he felt on the horse that day.

"I felt like the Lone⁴ Ranger," he said "I felt like I could conquer anything," Featherstone, now 51, said in a StoryCorps interview last month with Jordan Humphreys, a 13-year-old horseback rider.

After serving in the Army for eight years, Featherstone remained determined⁵ to realize his childhood dream of becoming a cowboy.

When he returned to Los Angeles, he learned to ride at stables known as "The Hill" in Compton. Riders there would hop⁶ on their saddles and take their horses into the city streets.

In 2012, a fire burned down The Hill. What had become a refuge for youth was suddenly gone.

Sensing a void after the fire, Featherstone opened his own stables in the nearby city of South Gate. He founded Urban Saddles in 2019 to create a space where he could teach kids like Humphreys to care for and ride horses.

Jordan Humpreys seen riding his horse Winter at the Urban Saddles stables, in South Gate, Los Angeles.

As a Black man, Featherstone is bucking preconceptions. People of color are often excluded from pop culture and historical representations of the cowboy.

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His stable has helped keep the cowboy lifestyle alive in the South Central LA. streets.

Humphreys says riding through the streets on horseback has given him a way to connect with others in the community.

"It makes them happy seeing us on a horse and then they be smiling," he said.

Featherstone said, "I believe that when we come through, we give them a sense of hope."

He thinks the same goes for the young riders, too.

"My hopes for your future is greatness," he told Humphreys. "Imagine all of the things you could think about other than thinking about your safety, walking around on the street or going to the store. You could be president."

If there's one lesson he hopes to impart to kids, Featherstone said, it's a respect for all life.

"We're respecting the animals and we're respecting each other," he told the 13-year-old. "No matter what color, no matter what religion, no matter what sexual orientation⁷. We're respecting people because they're people. Bottom line."

Audio produced for Morning Edition by Jey Born.

StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy⁸ for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org.

 

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1 bucking   

v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的现在分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• a bucking bronco in the rodeo 牛仔竞技表演中一匹弓背跳跃的野马
• That means we'll be bucking grain bags, bustin's gut. 那就是说咱们要背这一袋袋的谷子，得把五脏都累坏。 来自辞典例句

2 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

7 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。