Call it the Beyoncé effect: One of America’s biggest music superstars unleashed a stampede of excitement for Black rodeos across the country with her 2024 album “Cowboy Carter.”
Nowhere is that more obvious than in tiny Okmulgee, Oklahoma, home to the nation’s oldest continuously operated Black rodeo.
“When Beyoncé released that country album, she told Black people it’s okay to wear cowboy boots and cowboy hats,” said Danell Tipton, a champion bull rider who now serves as arena director for multiple state rodeos, including what is now the Okmulgee Roy LeBlanc Invitational Rodeo…