Federation of Black Cowboys

CTL-E-6284 · Organization · other · 1994–present (formed 1994; Cedar Lane Stables era to 2016)

PROVISIONAL evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07472 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-6284.

The Federation of Black Cowboys is a New York City organization dedicated to horsemanship training, children's education, and keeping alive the traditions of African American cowboys of the Old West. Formed in 1994, it was based for years at the Cedar Lane Stables in Queens, on land owned by the city's Parks Department near the road to Kennedy Airport. Through youth programs, rodeos, school visits, and public appearances, it introduces city children to the legacy of Black cowboys, and uses horsemanship to teach life skills including patience, kindness, and tolerance. In 2012 six horses died at the Cedar Lane Stables, forcing the city to close the stables while the Federation renovated them. The Federation's last Cedar Lane licensing agreement was for 2015; in February 2016 it was informed its license would not be renewed after being outbid by GallopNYC, a nonprofit providing therapeutic horsemanship, although city officials acknowledged the Federation's positive historical contribution to the community and to horse riding in New York City. As of 2019 its president was Kesha “Mama” Morse, the organization's first female president, and in 2022 the Federation took part in Juneteenth programming in Manhattan.

The record

• Also known as: New York City Federation of Black Cowboys, FBC

Notes

Staged 2026-10-16 under CTL-GOV-006 (Scan Tail Wave 7 — 747 Program, FINAL Wave 13; seventh Scan Tail packet at the founder's 40-record size). Gate A (2026-10-16): Gate A CLEAR (hand-checked 2026-10-16): no Federation of Black Cowboys entity, alias, or variant in the live graph (3,910 entities). ID CTL-E-6284 free at staging. Supply: 747 Supply Ledger — Tier 4 corpus scan tail, corpus-gap-candidates-2026-10-15.json ranked #3316. The scan supplied the name string only; every fact is sourced under CTL-GOV-004. SCOPE GATE: New York-based Black cowboy heritage organization carrying the history of Black cowboys of the American West into urban youth education; in scope as a corpus-named heritage organization. Vital status: ORGANIZATION — not applicable as a person. The organization remains active in opened sources after losing the Cedar Lane license: Juneteenth programming in 2022 is documented (Wikipedia, accessed 2026-10-16). No dissolution was found in opened sources. STATISTICS — CONFLICT SHOWN, NOT BLENDED: incorporation year — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-10-16) states the Federation was officially incorporated in 1994; the Associated Press account (May 8, 2016, accessed 2026-10-16) states the group numbered about 60 when officially incorporated in 1998, the year the Cedar Lane license era began. The description therefore says “formed in 1994” and asserts no single incorporation year. Membership: about 60 at incorporation per AP against 18 riders remaining in 2016 (AP). Historical statistic: Black cowboys were approximately 25% of the 35,000 cowboys of the 1870s–1880s frontier (Wikipedia, accessed 2026-10-16) — a figure about the historical West, not about the Federation. Six horses died at Cedar Lane in 2012 (both opened sources). TIER GAP: No authoritative institutional source (e.g., an NYC Parks Department, City Lore, Smithsonian, or official-organization profile) was opened and read for this record; the two opened sources are reputable journalism (Associated Press) and a secondary reference (Wikipedia), and they conflict on the incorporation year (1994 vs 1998). An opened institutional profile resolving the incorporation date is required for Verified. MEDIA: photo HELD (no credible named candidate photograph opened at staging; candidate null in media_specs); chart in media_specs; video HELD (No matching-entity CTL Short in the Shorts Link Map (shorts-link-map-2026-10-15.json, 233 rows, checked by name and variants, 2026-10-16); no near-miss title found.); audio HELD (HELD: No CTL-owned or rights-cleared matching-entity audio exists at staging.); map N/A (organization record). MEDIA LAYER (staged 2026-10-16; full per-asset PHOTO-001 records + embed specs in the packet's staged JSON, Drive packet folder): map = N/A (Organization records carry no map slot in this packet; maps attach to places and institutions.) | visual_assets = HELD: | chart = FILLED (Created for this packet (CTL graphic, CTL-PHOTO-001 lane) from the record's sourced facts.) | video = HELD (No matching-entity CTL Short in the Shorts Link Map (shorts-link-map-2026-10-15.json, 233 rows, checked by nam) | audio = HELD (HELD: No CTL-owned or rights-cleared matching-entity audio exists at staging.)

Sources

• Associated Press (via Sports Illustrated, May 8, 2016), For New York City's black cowboy group, it's high noon, by Verena Dobnik (accessed 2026-10-16) — the Federation's mission to introduce city kids to the legacy of thousands of Black cowboys; based at the Cedar Lane Stables and corral in Queens, owned by the city's Parks Department, near the road to Kennedy Airport; membership had dwindled to 18 riders by 2016; outbid by GallopNYC for the Cedar Lane license, with takeover in August 2016; six horses died in 2012 and the license was suspended, then restored in 2014 after renovation; president Kesha Morse; the group numbered about 60 when officially incorporated in 1998 per this account; city acknowledged the Cowboys' positive historical contribution — https://www.si.com/uncategorized/2016/05/08/ap-us-new-yorks-black-cowboys (build store)
• Wikipedia, New York City Federation of Black Cowboys (accessed 2026-10-16) — organization dedicated to horsemanship training, children's education, and keeping alive the traditions of African-American cowboys from the Old West; officially incorporated in 1994 per this account and leased the Cedar Lane Stables in Queens from the Parks Department (stables used 1998–2016); African-American cowboys made up approximately 25% of the 35,000 cowboys of the 1870s–1880s western frontier per this account; last licensing agreement for 2015, informed in February 2016 the license would not be renewed, outbid by GallopNYC; as of 2019 president Kesha “Mama” Morse, its first female president; Juneteenth 2022 programming with NYC Parks in Marcus Garvey Park and at Battery Park — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Federation_of_Black_Cowboys (build store)

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Record CTL-E-6284 · Combined Graph record U-07472 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 2 sources.
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