Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is not only highlighting Black cowboys and equestrian culture in her music, the superstar is continuing to champion them through her foundation.
The decorated artists’ 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.
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.
BeyGOOD, the initiative founded by global cultural icon, in 2013, to support people and programs around the world, is now BeyGOOD Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity.
“I am hugely proud of the work we have done over a decade at BeyGOOD, here in the US and around the world,” said BeyGOOD founder, Beyoncé. “From scholarships to the water crisis in Burundi, to helping families during Hurricane Harvey in my hometown, Houston, it has been beyond fulfilling to be of service. Now as a foundation, we will continue the work of engaging partners through innovative programs to impact even more people.”
Kendall Rae Johnson, 9, was another recipient of the BeyGOOD
Equestrian Grants. The pre-teen is the 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.
For more information and to see the full list of recipients, visit www.BeyGOOD.org