The cattle-farming tradition that inspired cowboy culture was first adopted by Mexican vaqueros in North America before Americans made their way west. Though the popular image of the cowboy from Hollywood Westerns is a white man, most cowboys in the real-life Wild West were people of color. (Image credit: Jessica Kourkounis) There's a centuries-long tradition of urban riding clubs across the U.S. And I think that more people know about it and knew how important the stable was to so many people, young people, who don't have anywhere else to go." Mercedes says, "Yes, in North Philly, we ride horses. At the end of the film, Mercedes, Prattis and other real-life riders in the cast talk about their experiences at the stables. Real-life riders in the cast include Ivannah Mercedes, who plays McLaughlin's love interest Esha, and Jamil "Mil" Prattis, who plays stable mentor Paris. Real riders from the Fletcher Street riding community are cast in the movie.Ĭoncrete Cowboy was filmed at the Fletcher Street stables, and riders from the Fletcher Street community are cast in the movie. And we appreciate having this open space, because if you just look out your door you can imagine being somewhere far, far away,” said Robinson. In an interview with the blog Billy Penn, Strawberry Mansion Civic Association director Judith Robinson said that the Fletcher Street managers regularly bring the horses to residents' block parties and offer free lessons for elementary school kids. The FSURC is invaluable to North Philadelphia residents, both for their work with the children of the community and their contributions to their neighborhood as a whole. Like the film, riding clubs in North Philly, including the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club (FSURC), are fighting to preserve their heritage and find permanent stables amid a rapidly-gentrifying city. ![]() The real-life Fletcher Street Riders, like the film's characters, are an integral part of their community, and teach horse-riding and the discipline it entails to Black kids in Philly to keep them out of trouble. Concrete Cowboy's writer-director Ricky Staub spent two years visiting the stables and getting to know riders from the Fletcher Street community before writing the script, and cast some real-life riders in the film. The film takes inspiration from the overall Fletcher Street riding community, rather than one specific club or rider. Both the novel and film took inspiration from the Fletcher Street Riders, a community of Black horse-riders throughout North Philadelphia. You may have to select a menu option or click a button.While Concrete Cowboy itself is fiction-it's based on Greg Neri's YA novel Ghetto Cowboy-the film is heavily inspired by the real-life riders of North Philly. Follow the instructions for disabling the ad blocker on the site you’re viewing. ![]() You may have more than one ad-blocker installed. You’ll usually find this icon in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
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