One rodeo changed Jim Austin’s life.
Growing up, the commercial real estate broker and entrepreneur was one of a handful of other Black students in his Bloomfield, New Jersey, school.
During history class, he rarely learned about people who looked like him unless it was in regard to slavery.
Decades later, attending a rodeo would unlock a new set of stories about African American history.
When he was 45 years old, he discovered that one-fourth of the cowboys in the American West were Black, “and it just embraced my spirit,” he told the Report.
If you go
What: National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame
When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday
Where: 2201 Dottie Lynn Parkway, Suite 115
Admission: $15; $12 for adults 65 or older, members of the military and children 4-18
He helped grow the Cowboys of Color Rodeo to a six-city circuit and, in 2001, he and his wife, Gloria Austin, opened what was then called the National Cowboys of Color Museum.
“Being able to share this information with our kids is so important, because you can see the response from the minority kids, the Black, the Hispanic, Native Americans,” Austin said. “Our ancestors were there, you know? But they didn’t know, and (when they learn) they feel more proud.”
Today, the museum is called the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame, and its collection highlights individuals of Hispanic, Native American, Asian, European and African descent who helped settle the West.
The museum exhibits artwork, archival photos, weapons and traditional Indigenous clothing embellished with shells and beadwork. Its permanent collection boasts displays dedicated to Buffalo Soldiers, Tuskegee airmen, Native American chiefs and more.
Originally located in a small space near Texas Wesleyan University, the museum eventuallly moved to the outskirts of the Stockyards. “We thought that being in the Stockyards would help us to expand our mission of educating individuals about the history of the forgotten cowboys,” he explained.
But the location was too far from the heart of the Stockyards to see much foot traffic.
The museum’s new location is at 2201 Dottie Lynn Parkway in Fort Worth, about a 10-minute drive from the National Medal of Honor Museum and another 3 minutes from AT&T Stadium, both in Arlington. Austin hopes that the proximity to these high-traffic locations and collaborations with other area museums will bring more visitors through its doors.
Rent is less than half the price at the new location, and the money saved will help jump-start their fundraising campaign to strengthen the museum’s endowment. The free parking for visitors and green space for outdoor programming are two other benefits.
As Austin noted in a press release announcing the new location, “There are so many wins that come with this move.”
Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.