Cowboy Tells History Of Blacks In The ‘Old West’

by Ken Molestina

EL PASO — Sun City residents are getting a first class lesson in Black History from an unexpected source.

A New York man is riding his horse through El Paso spreading his message just in time for Black History Month.

Miles Dean belongs to a group known as the Black Heritage Riders. The group devotes its efforts to preserving the history of African Americans in the Old West.

“African American cowboys did exist. Reports are that one out of every four cowboys in the west was an African American,” said Dean.

Dean has been reminding people about this time and time again across the country since he set off on his horse from New York back last September.

His horse is named Sankofa, an African word for returning to the source. “As we travel across the country, we are talking about the accomplishments of our ancestors. We are returning to the source,” he said.

Deans stroll through the Sun City captured the imagination of many children. “It was cool because you don’t see it everyday,” said 12-year-old Daiquan Terrier, who saw Dean at the McCall Center in central El Paso.

The cowboy’s journey through the country will end when he reaches California. Dean said he would not have been able to finish the trip without the support of people who understand what he is doing.

“They’re out looking for me to wish me well,” he said.