Dallas museum's Black cowboys exhibition explores Texas frontier history

All right, Todd, thanks. There is a new exhibit in North Texas that explores the lives and work of the often overlooked role of black cowboys on Texas ranches. This exhibit is located at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. Shannon Murray joins us with a little history. Hey there, Shannon. Oh, good morning, Lauren and Brandon. Yeah, a lot of history here inside this exhibit. You really see all of the unique stories of these black cowboys here in our state. we've got Mary Pat Higgins joining us again. One of those unique stories on display right here behind you. Who is Cleo Hearn? Cleo Hearn, um, was a Lancaster resident for decades and he was really, some people call him Mr. Black Rodeo. He grew up in Seminole, Oklahoma and wasn't in a family of, of ranchers or rodeoers, but he saw a black rodeo when he was nine years old and he knew that's what he needed to do. He said, God sent me here to be a cowboy. And he was the first African-American to attend college on a rodeo scholarship at OSU. He was drafted into the army and was in the presidential color guard serving John F. Kennedy. And then by 1970, he won the national calf roping competition wow his he's just phenomenal um go ahead well and i was going to say we want to walk around the corner here to show off um his his saddle that is also on display here there's a video of him speaking he just passed away last year he passed away in 2025 and the black um the cowboys of color rodeo in Mesquite in may is going to be in his memory his sons his four sons and many of his grandchildren are still cowboy rodeo, uh, cowboy rodeo cowboys. Um, and it's just, you know, it's a phenomenal history because he was starting in a time when there was segregation and he wasn't allowed to ride in the Fort Worth rodeo. He could at the Mesquite rodeo. Um, but that changed. And, um, he was really renowned as, as an incredible, um, calf roper. He said he chose calf roping because it's based on time and the clock didn't care what color you were. Yeah. His family got to come out and see this exhibit. What did it mean to them to see their father's story on display? Well, his family has a really proud legacy. They still continue the American Black Cowboys Association that he co-founded and the Cowboys of Color Rodeo that he founded. They're part of that business. They came for our opening program in their cowboy hats and boots, and some of their children are engaged in the rodeo, and they were really proud to see their father's legacy highlighted. Every time we have a special exhibition, we try to have some sort of local story, something that makes it special to the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. Mary Pat, thank you so much for talking to us. This is just, of course, one of the many stories you will see here inside this exhibit as you make your way through it will be on display here through mid April so you have plenty of time to get out here and see it of course we'll post all the information on our website fox4news.com but you know it's kind of the untold story Lauren and Brandon you know that one in four cowboys were black in our history and a lot of people may not realize that so just a very important part of our history as well back to you Andy all right Shannon thanks Thank you.