Inaugural Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo Coming June 17 to Portland Expo Center — Sport Oregon Voices
Noted local photographer goes from documenting Black rodeo culture to producing a marquee event to celebrate Juneteenth in Portland
For the better part of the last decade, Portland-based photojournalist Ivan McClellan has been going to Black rodeos around the country, documenting the unique culture, elevating stories of the rodeo athletes, and developing lifelong friends along the way.
What started as a curiosity – with his first visit to a Black rodeo in Oklahoma in 2015 – quickly developed into a passion project, both from a professional standpoint, and a personal one of self-discovery and appreciation of this element of his culture about which he previously knew very little. Attracted to cowboy culture as a young boy growing up in Kansas City, he was blown away when introduced to Black rodeos as an adult.
And it just took off from there.
Today, McClellan finds himself in a position he’d likely never dreamt of – that of large-scale rodeo event producer. McClellan, along with Councilor Vince Jones-Dixon of the City of Gresham and a team of volunteers, is bringing rodeo back to the Portland Expo Center. On Saturday, June 17, the inaugural Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo will take place there. Doors open at 3 p.m. to explore food, drinks and retail vendors, while the rodeo action starts at 7 p.m.
The invitational rodeo will gather some of the top competitors from across the country with an emphasis on supporting Black western athletes and educating people on the cultural heritage of Black cowboys and cowgirls. The Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo will be an inclusive educational and entertaining event that uses lighting, music and top western athletes to create a fresh rodeo platform. It will feature a host of traditional rodeo events – including barrel racing, bareback riding, bull riding, mutton busting, steer wrestling and ladies breakaway roping – combined with a wide array of additional entertainment, including a comedy show, music by DJ O.G.ONE, cocktails and more.
McClellan says that when he was approached by Jones-Dixon with the idea of bringing a Black rodeo to Portland as a celebration of Juneteenth, he was quick to sign on.
“I jumped all over it, because it just seemed like such a natural extension of the work I had been doing,” McClellan said.
McClellan created the Eight Seconds project in 2015 to showcase his photos and stories of Black rodeo athletes and culture. The Eight Seconds project, characterized by iconic photography portraying the American West, quickly gained widespread recognition and coverage by national media outlets such as ESPN, Elle Magazine, The Washington Post, I-D Magazine, Black Enterprise and Modern Huntsman. McClellan says that, soon, he found himself involved with additional aspects of the Black rodeo culture as well, producing ad campaigns with the athletes, helping them gain sponsorships to sustain their passion, and connecting with a host of top western brands in the process.
“It went from just being a storytelling thing, to really being a deep immersion in western sports and rodeo,” McClellan said.
The event has the support of many local and national organizations and companies, including Travel Portland, Sport Oregon, Tecovas, Wrangler, Pendleton, Wieden+Kennedy, Portland Gear, Women in Ranching, Portland Events & Films, Leverenz & Associates, Tomkat Ranch, Paicines Ranch, the USDA and others.
According to McClellan, the mission of the event goes beyond the actual rodeo. In an effort to create opportunities for young Black Portlanders who want to learn the art of horsemanship, there are five scholarships for a year of horseback riding lessons that will be awarded as a legacy piece of this year’s rodeo, to inspire the next generation of cowboys and cowgirls.
“We think it will be a really inspiring event, to see all these Black cowboys and cowgirls come out in front of a crowd here, inspiring youth and letting them know that this is something that they can achieve in their life if they’re interested,” he said.
For those interested in supporting the event, click here for more information on how to get involved.
In his role as event producer, McClellan has become a jack of all trades. He manages pretty much all elements of the rodeo, from arranging food and retail vendors to horse stalls and fencing, from dirt load-in to the installation of 2,500 seats for spectators. It’s no small task converting the Expo Center into a rodeo ground for a day, but he says it is all worth it, especially as a way to inspire growth for the city and continue in his efforts to shine a light on the sport and its culture. Organizers expect a large majority of attendees will be new to rodeo events, and look at it as an opportunity to educate people to the culture and history of Black cowboys and cowgirls, particularly in the Northwest.
“We want this to be a big Juneteenth event here in Portland, celebrating liberation and really driving forward the future of Portland,” he said. “We’re really hoping that this event starts to paint the picture of what the city can be, and we think we have a special event that not only gives these athletes a great platform, but progresses the sport of rodeo in a new direction.”
Hard work aside, McClellan says the goal is to make it an annual event, and another signature Juneteenth celebration in the Portland area to complement Juneteenth Oregon.
“We’re planning on doing it for many years to come, evolving it and doing it bigger each year,” he said.
If You’re Going
The Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo features two types of ticketing for its inaugural event, including a daily ticket and a VIP experience. Click here to learn more and to purchase tickets for the June 17 event. Doors open at 3 p.m. to explore the many food, beverage and retail areas, while the rodeo action begins at 7 p.m.
To Join in Support of the Inaugural Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo
To learn more about how to support this year’s event and to donate to the Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo and the scholarship fund, click here.