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Locals Keeping Alive Black Cowboy History, Lifestyle

SACRAMENTO OBSERVER — The Loyalty Riderz club is preserving the lifestyle in a way that honors the past and, with a tip of a cowboy hat, gives a nod to the future. The word “cowboy” originally was a derogatory term, club President Gregory Bradley, Sr. points out, coined back when whites commonly called Black men as “boys” regardless of their age.
The post Locals Keeping Alive Black Cowboy History, Lifestyle first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

May 16, 2023

Sacramento Observer staff report

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer

The Black cowboy legacy won’t ride off quietly into the sunset if a local group of horse enthusiasts has anything to say about it.

The Loyalty Riderz club is preserving the lifestyle in a way that honors the past and, with a tip of a cowboy hat, gives a nod to the future.

The word “cowboy” originally was a derogatory term, club President Gregory Bradley, Sr. points out, coined back when whites commonly called Black men as “boys” regardless of their age.

“We invented the cowboy and Black people got so good at it, then whites, they wanted to be cowboys now. They tried to steal our history.”

Bradley founded Loyalty Riderz in 2019 alongside his wife Phyllis Bradley and three other couples – Dan and Rhonda Doris, Lela Randolph-Lacy and Roy Lacy and Fred and Zena Perres.

“We wanted to initiate a cowboy and RV group that stood for something other than just hanging out and wearing matching outfits,” said Randolph-Lacy, who still participates with her husband despite having moved to Texas.

“We make it our business to be loyal. That’s what being Loyalty Riderz is all about. No matter how far, we are there for each other.”

The name is an acronym for principles that guide group members’ action and interaction: L – loyalty riders; O – open heart to serve; Y – yeehaw first; A – always supporting; L – love, laughter and learning; T – trustworthy; Y – you matter; R – road without limits; I – in it to win it; D – doing us till we’re satisfied; E – excellence; R – ride horses and RV’s; Z – zest for the cowboy life.

“We wanted to represent the cowboy lifestyle, which is fading, and to have family and friends that we could be loyal to and trust to enjoy events, campouts, etc. We wanted to be a part of a group that would also strongly support the community and extend to children the cowboy and RV experience,” Randolph-Lacy said.

The group meets monthly and sponsors rodeos and riders in events in the Bay Area and Southern California.

“We go to as many rodeos as we can. We take our motorhomes and we have our horses behind us in trailers,” Bradley said.

There’s a big campout in August in Valley Springs that they invite people to. The group also attracts attention, and potential members, through its website and social media.

Local duala Kairis Joy Chiaji said a video she saw on Facebook grabbed her attention.

“I saw Greg and some of the other guys, they were out trying to round up some cattle,” Chiaji said. “I saw that and said, ‘I want that. How can I be down?’ I reached out to Greg and he was like, ‘Well, first, we got to meet you and see your horse.’”

Chiaji was ultimately voted in.

“There’s two sides of Loyalty Riderz,” she said. “There’s the social club, which is the trail rides, the barbecues, the dances and just Black folks having a good time being ourselves. Then there’s also the community engagement side. When there’s a community event, we will show up in our colors. When the event calls for it, and we’re able to, we can get there with some horses, and have kids come out and meet horses and learn about them.”

Horse ownership isn’t a requirement for membership.

“We are RV owners,” Randolph-Lacy said. “So most of what we do is travel and camp out, and support rodeo and cowboy functions, which is so delightful.”

“A lot of people don’t have horses,” Bradley added. “Some people ain’t never going to get on a horse, aren’t going to own a horse and are scared to death of horses. But they know their roots are from that and they just like the lifestyle and hanging out with real people.”

Bradley was born in Marlin, Texas, where his family still owns 500 acres.

“We all come from a little town in Texas, but I’m the only one who is keeping our history together,” he said.

Black cowboys played a key role in American expansion into the West, but their story is often downplayed or untold.

“They needed these guys, these cowboys, to maintain the ranches and maintain their plots,” Chiaji said. “Especially when folks started moving north and beef cost a whole lot more in the north because it was hard to get folks that were skilled, but also expendable, to drive cattle cross country. Cowboys were in high demand and after emancipation; of course, they had to be paid.

“Being valuable to society at that level and having some income, they had more freedom than a lot of Black people did at that time. Even if there was still heavy discrimination. People were able to have their own properties, their own animals, their own things and those skills stayed and our people have always had an attachment to equestrian activities. But when you’re not really accepted in the mainstream, you’ve got to create your own.”

Today, the Bill Pickett Rodeo, named after the pioneering Black bulldogger, carries on the legacy and showcases Black cowboys. As does the Black Cowboy Parade in Oakland.

“If you’re not given a place at the table, you build your own table,” Chiaji said.

Loyalty Riderz will be setting up tables, literally, on Saturday, May 20, as they host their annual dinner and dance. The sold-out event is a fundraiser for the group’s youth programs.

Such programs are an aspect close to Dan Doris’ heart. After a spinal injury, he doesn’t ride anymore. While he can’t physically live up to the group’s motto of “Stay in the saddle,” he’s helping the next generation to do so.

“My biggest thing now is to try to take the inner-city kid and introduce them to the western lifestyle,” Doris said.

The community has been pretty receptive, said the former high school and community football coach and official.

“I was actually considered one of the best officials in Northern California before my accident,” Doris said. “A lot of kids still know me as ‘Coach Dan’ and a lot of those kids now have kids. They tend to listen when I talk to them. They tend to trust me because I’ve never disappointed them.”

He has helped support a few young people who now compete in rodeos. One young man was awarded a rodeo scholarship to Texas A&M and turned professional earlier this year. Doris points to Blacks who are leaders in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Professional Bull Riders events.

“We’re all over,” he said.

Blacks’ historical contributions, he added, should not be forgotten or erased. Doris also thinks tearing down statues of white people from those eras is a bad idea.

“Our grandkids aren’t gonna know about what happened to him,” he said. I don’t think we should tear down a reminder. Let America know what you did. When you tear them down our great-grandkids will not know what [people] did. My dad, he always says the best part of the story is the part they don’t tell you.”

For more information, visit loyaltyriderz.org.

The post Locals Keeping Alive Black Cowboy History, Lifestyle appeared first on The Sacramento Observer.

The post Locals Keeping Alive Black Cowboy History, Lifestyle first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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4 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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