Shilanda Woolridge

Dougger Matthew and his grandson at the 2008 parade

A few weeks ago, Anika Dunn was dashing out of her West Oakland home to pick up a prescription when she encountered two horses milling about in front of her house. She turned and jokingly yelled to family members inside, "Someone call the SPCA!"

The horses weren't abandoned—they belonged to two members of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association, which has worked since 1974 to spread the word that people of color played an important role in the history of the West. Association members were out canvassing neighbors, asking for permission for a parade route to pass through Dunn's street. The annual parade and festival is the group's best-known event, and takes place on the first Saturday of every October. Normally the parade begins at DeFremery Park and loops into downtown Oakland before returning to the park.

But last year, due to the budget crisis, the City of Oakland was not able to cover the cost of hiring police to block traffic and provide security as it had during previous years. "They said we had to come up with $18,000. The cheapest it could be was $15,000. They couldn't support us because the budget was bad. We understood, " said OBCA president Wilbert McAlister.

Instead, the group opted to do a short march around the perimeter of DeFremery Park. They were able to raise $1,200—enough to pay the police to block off the park's four corners.

Dunn, who has lived in West Oakland all her life, has a vivid childhood memory of the parade going by while she stood on the corner of 14th Street and Adeline snacking on a Pac-Man popsicle. "At DeFremery Park my parents took me to see the horses. Then you could pet them or sit in the saddle," she said. So this year, when McAlister was out canvassing Dunn's block wearing the OBCA signature get-up—cowboy boots, hats, black pants and a gold shirt—Dunn asked if she could do anything to help get the parade back on track.

On Saturday, the cowboys will once again take to Oakland's streets, thanks to Dunn's call to what seems like an unlikely source of parade route security: Shadows of the Knight, a black motorcycle club based in Oakland. Shadows of the Knight has been going strong for seven years and has 47 members, many of whom were friends back at Castlemont High. This affiliation was the catalyst for their insignia, which is a combination of the Castlemont Knight and shield from the Oakland Raiders.

Like any motorcycle club, the Shadows of the Knight love a good party, but they spend a lot of quality time helping those who are less fortunate, said CFO Dean Driver. The Shadows of the Knight members organize backpack drives for kids, Christmas tree giveaways and serve a Thanksgiving meal.

They also like to work with the police. "We assist the Oakland Police Department, San Francisco Police Department and Antioch Police Department because those are the areas where we are from," said Driver. "Anything that might help them cut back on manpower and save money."

The Shadows of the Knight will have 22 members directing traffic at 14 street intersections on the parade route. This year's parade will start at 11 a.m. in DeFremery Park and wend its way through West Oakland. Relying on the motorcycle club for security will make it possible for OBCA to cut costs to $4,000 to pay for five OPD officers and other required permits.

This year the Grand Marshal of the parade will be black country western singer Miko Marks. Ms. Oakland is on schedule to participate as well. After the parade there will be food and information vendors, horse and pony rides, and cowboys performing roping tricks.

The parade and festival are two of the most prominent ways that OBCA illustrates that the old West lives on in the present day. "We're in the West," said McAlister. "People lose focus of that. Think about cowboys, pioneers and gold mining towns. This is where it all took place. That culture is still here."

Betty Alcutt is on the association's board of directors, and her father, Booker Emery, was one of many men who helped to create the organization. "Dad wanted the kids to know that there were real black cowboys," said Alcutt. "Back then all they knew was Tom Mix, Debbie Hayes and what was on TV. They weren't teaching it at school. He wanted a place for where kids could come and make contact with horses. This is something we still want to do, for the adults too."

Dunn is certain the parade will give new generations the same happy experiences she had as a child. "It has gone on so long," said Dunn. "I was prepared to do whatever we needed to do to save it."