KK Brinson, a Black Cowgirl from Oakland, Gets Ready for Her Comeback

KK Brinson was just nine years old when she rode her first horse. “I was just a girl that rode, and was a trail rider that would go down to the beach all the time in Daly City, California and, you know, just ride her horse recklessly,” Brinson says with a laugh, “but it taught me well.”

After that first ride—and thanks to her grandmother, who nurtured her passion—Brinson never looked back. Today, she’s a barrel racer who has won various competitions throughout Northern California. (Barrel racing, on a professional level, is an all-women rodeo event in which cowgirls have to race around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. The fastest rider wins.)

Last weekend on July 9 and 10, Brinson competed at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR). William “Bill” Pickett was born in 1870 in Taylor, Texas. He invented the specialty rodeo event “bulldogging,” also known as steer wrestling, and is one of the most well known Black cowboys in American history. The touring event named in his honor celebrates Black cowboy culture around the country.

Participating in another BPIR feels like a homecoming for Brinson, making it even more important to “show up and show out.”

“When I was 13, that was the first rodeo I ever started with. That was the first rodeo I’ve ever seen. That was the first rodeo that I was ever welcome to,” Brinson says.

Excitement filled the air at Rowell Ranch Rodeo in Castro Valley this Sunday, where the BPIR made its 38th return to the Bay Area. After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, this year’s show just so happens to coincide with what Brinson considers her comeback year.

“As far as my comeback year, it’s just like, I’ve done bad in the past and I think this time I have a good chance of winning some money, at least, you know,” Brinson says. “So it’s like, I want to come back for myself. I don’t want to do it for show or for everybody else to prove a point.”

For Brinson, making a comeback is a lot deeper than just winning a barrel racing competition. Building deep bonds with her horses and working with them every day is what matters. Her goal is to turn her two green horses into finished ones who’ve completed their training and are ready to compete. Taking Kairo, a 12-year-old Sorrel American Quarter horse, to actually race for the first time at a rodeo is a win as far as she’s concerned.

Brinson built herself and her horses from the ground up. She never really had lessons or training; it was through YouTube that she even learned about professional barrel racing.

Brinson often describes how she can be wearing a pair of Jordans in Oakland, where she lives, one day, and a pair of cowgirl boots at practice in Pleasanton the next. Balancing city life with country life. She wants this to be a reality for other young Black women.

Having such an iconic rodeo come to the Bay Area is vital because, as Brinson puts it, she’s met some Black people who haven’t been to a Black rodeo, or even a rodeo at all.

“They will take that memory and it will live in their heads all their life,” Brinson explains. “Especially if it’s your first experience.”

It’s evident that people recognize how much time and energy she puts into perfecting her skills. On Sunday after her race, young Black children came up to Brinson for pictures, hugs and autographs. She uses her position to be a role model.

“I feel like it’s a good representation of leadership, being accountable of my doings. It’s a good representation that all Black people are not negative,” says Brinson.

Although Brinson wasn’t thrilled about her run this weekend, finishing with a time of 20.6 seconds on Sunday, she knows that she can’t always win. The important thing was getting her skills down right in unison with Kairo. She took pride in Kairo keeping her safe and doing his best.

“My [goal], I want to say, is to become the first African American woman to be in the National Finals Rodeo,” Brinson says. “I want to at least say, ‘I did it. I conquered, let’s go get some more.’”