ZEKE Fall 2019

Delta
Hill
Riders
PHOTOS BY RORY DOYLE
It’s estimated that just after the Civil War,
one in four cowboys was African American.
Yet this population was drastically underrepresented
in popular accounts, and it is
still. The “cowboy” identity retains a strong
presence in many contemporary black
communities.
This ongoing project, “Delta Hill Riders,” sheds
light on the overlooked subculture of African
American cowboys and cowgirls in the rural
Mississippi Delta. The work resists both historical
and contemporary stereotypes. Rory Doyle has
captured black heritage rodeos, horse shows, trail
rides, “Cowboy Night” at black nightclubs, and
subjects’ homes across the Delta.
It’s a story that’s particularly timely with the current
political environment, and one that provides a
renewed focus on rural America. Doyle has captured
a group of riders showing love for their horses
and fellow cowboys/cowgirls, while also passing
down traditions and historical perspectives among
generations.
Rory Doyle is a photographer based in Cleveland,
Mississippi in the rural Mississippi Delta. Born and
raised in Maine, Doyle moved to the South in 2009
and has remained committed to the region ever
since. His work often highlights unique Southern
subcultures commonly overlooked.
Doyle is a 2018 Mississippi Visual Artist Fellow
through the Mississippi Arts Commission and
National Endowment for the Arts for his ongoing
project on African American cowboys and cowgirls,
“Delta Hill Riders.” Doyle won the 16th Annual
Smithsonian Photo Contest with the project in 2019.
The work was featured in the Half King Photo
Series in New York and The Print Space Gallery in
London before opening at the Delta Arts Alliance
in February 2019. He was also recognized for the
project by winning the 2019 Zeiss Photography
Award, and the photojournalism category at the
2018 Eye Em Awards in Berlin, Germany.
14 / ZEKE APRIL FALL 2019 2015