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Riveted: The History of Jeans | Digital Short

Black Cowboys on the Silver Screen

From the Collection: The African American Experience
Take a minute and picture the cowboy. He’s got on his hat and boots, maybe a gun on each hip, and, of course, his well-worn blue jeans. This is the image of the cowboy made famous in movies, portrayed by men like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Gary Cooper. But wait. The real cowboys were (and still are) way more diverse than what people saw in the movies — and more and more Black cowboys are getting their due on the silver screen.
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