Marching Through History: My Black Cowboy Parade Experience, ‘Boots on the Ground,’ and the Cowboy Carter Wave

C. Aigner Ellis
2 days ago
2 min read

This year, I traded the sidewalk for the street — marching in the Boots on the Ground Festival parade from Sacramento High School to McClatchy Park, produced by the Black Expo. We moved through Oak Park, a historically African‑American neighborhood shaped by migration, resilience, and the push‑pull of gentrification. Even with shifting demographics, Oak Park remains a gathering point for Sacramento’s dispersed Black community — and for one day, the streets belonged fully to us again.

‘Boots on the Ground’ as the Festival’s Pulse

This year’s theme wasn’t a metaphor — it was the name of the festival itself, borrowed from the Southern Soul hit Boots on the Ground by 803Fresh. The track, paired with Tre Little’s now‑viral fan‑clacking line dance, has become a rallying point for Black joy and togetherness across the country.

The artist wasn’t in Sacramento that day, but the song’s presence was everywhere. Floats blasted it. Dance troupes hit the choreography mid‑route. It gave the parade a steady rhythm — a literal beat to march to — connecting spectators, riders, and marchers in a shared groove.

The Cowboy Carter Effect

Black cowboy culture — from the West Coast to Texas and the southern Midwest — has deep, often conservative roots in ranch work, rodeos, and rural communities. It’s a legacy that’s endured quietly, sometimes far from the pop culture spotlight.

Then came Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, a chart‑topping genre fusion project that reframed Americana and country music through a distinctly Black lens. Without a visual album to accompany it (a decision that left many fans hungry), the music itself became the catalyst — inviting a more urban, liberal, and pop‑attuned generation into cowboy hats, denim, and a reimagined sense of Black patriotism.

The parade in Oak Park felt like those worlds meeting: the traditionalists who have lived this lifestyle for generations, and the newcomers inspired by Cowboy Carter to claim their own space in the Western frame. It’s not a competition — it’s a cultural handshake, each side amplifying the other.

Part of a Bigger Movement

The Black Cowboy Parade in Sacramento is now part of a larger regional network of events produced by the Black Expo, known for celebrating Black culture across the Bay Area. Bringing the Boots on the Ground Festival to Sacramento links the city into a broader tapestry of Black heritage events in Northern California.

More Than a Photo Op

For some, the parade is a spectacle. For those of us in it, it’s history in motion. It’s a reminder that even when neighborhoods change, the culture doesn’t vanish — it marches on.

As I stepped into McClatchy Park at the parade’s end, the air was thick with music, laughter, and the clap of folding fans. It wasn’t just nostalgia — it was proof that the Black cowboy spirit, in all its forms, is alive and evolving.