Black cowboy culture is having its moment in the sun.
Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter,” Shabuzy’s popular single “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” movies like “The Harder They Fall,” and the black riders who rode horses during the George Floyd protests have shown how black cowboys It helps shed more light on its popularity. And a cowgirl. A new series has been added.
“Beyond Black Beauty” is an expansion of the oft-adapted classic 1877 novel “Black Beauty,” an 11-episode series that focuses specifically on black people, black girls, and women, available on Prime Video. Masu. Jolie Dumont is a teenage equestrian who dreams of competing in the Olympics.
Jolie’s parents separated after her father’s business failure, and Jolie moved from a wealthy life in Belgium, where her father was from, to a new life in Baltimore, where her mother’s sister ran the family’s century-old ranch. They will be torn apart by their lives. There, Jolie discovers more about herself and her mother’s family’s long horse lineage, especially with her cousin Ronnie by her side.
Beyond Black Beauty creator and showrunner Pilar Golden said adapting “this really beautiful” story into the 21st century was a daunting task.
“I thought, ‘How do I do this? How can I make it different? Because ‘Black Beauty’ has always existed as a black horse and a white character.” the runner said. “So, as a Black woman, I thought, ‘Well, I would love to meet a Black woman.’ This is a love letter to the Black women who raised me.”
Jolie (Kaya Coleman) in “Beyond Black Beauty.” Lindsay Sarazin / Prime Video
Golden, a Maryland native, said he chose Baltimore as the setting for the show, especially because “viewers are familiar with Baltimore through the lens of ‘The Wire,’ which is one of my favorite shows.” .
But she also wanted to expand understanding of her hometown. In creating “Beyond Black Beauty,” Golden said she wanted to create a family-friendly show that was “driven by the heritage” of Black families.
“What was really important was to focus on Black families who own something,” she said. “They’ve owned land for 100 years, worked with horses for 100 years and been at the forefront of cowboy culture for 100 years.”
In addition to Jolie’s mother, Janelle. Aunt Yvonne. and her cousin Ronnie, her grandparents. She is in love with the handsome young Alvin. And her mother’s connection with her old flame Rashad involves an incredible love triangle. And of course, there’s Beauty, a horse that no one understands like Jolie.
Jolie is a British rider living in Belgium who wants to continue her style in Baltimore with her idol Gretchen, but she also learned about Western riding through her family and is known for her Bill Pickett invitational series, which features things like barrel racing. This is the style shown at the rodeo. Activities.
To help solidify black cowboy culture, Golden turned to Erin Brown. Known as “Concrete Cowgirl,” she also worked on the 2020 Netflix film “Concrete Cowboy,” starring Idris Elba, and is set in her hometown of Philadelphia, where she has been for over 30 years. Ms. Brown said she welcomed “Beyond Black Beauty,” a portrait of this culture.
“I grew up in that culture, and it’s very similar to ‘Beyond Black Beauty,'” said Brown, who has been competing since she was 7 years old. “It really felt like real life at some points.”
Brown said he’s happy to see the growing prevalence of black cowboy culture, from Beyoncé to “Beyond Black Beauty.” They existed because, collectively, they would “open up opportunities for a much younger crowd that didn’t even know about black cowboys, cowgirls, or equestrian culture.” ”
Kaya Coleman, who plays Jolie, had never ridden a horse before the show and, like many people, didn’t know about black cowboy culture or history.
“I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta,” she said. “There are a lot of horses here, but I always felt like it was for a certain culture. I never thought I would have the opportunity to be a part of it. , when I learned about black cowboy culture, it made sense in my soul.”
