--- title: How the Yeehaw Agenda Is About American Identity description: In 2019, the whiteness of the cowboy was challenged by a new generation of black artists in a movement known as the Yeehaw Agenda. canonical: https://time.com/5735430/yeehaw-agenda-black-artists-reclaiming-cowboy-image/ author: Andrew R. Chow article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-11-21T12:43:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T07:47:43.244Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Yeehaw Agenda Is About More Than Cowboy Hats. It's About American Identity og:description: The Yeehaw Agenda achieved critical mass thanks to a viral TikTok challenge og:url: https://time.com/5735430/yeehaw-agenda-black-artists-reclaiming-cowboy-image/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5fa16b1015dcbfcc/698a0665096a9483de6a756d/yeehaw-agenda-black-artists-reclaiming-cowboy-image.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: yeehaw-agenda-black-artists-reclaiming-cowboy-image og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Yeehaw Agenda Is About More Than Cowboy Hats. It's About American Identity twitter:description: The Yeehaw Agenda achieved critical mass thanks to a viral TikTok challenge twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5fa16b1015dcbfcc/698a0665096a9483de6a756d/yeehaw-agenda-black-artists-reclaiming-cowboy-image.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Yeehaw Agenda Is About More Than Cowboy Hats. It's About American Identity > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent.  by [Andrew R. Chow](https://time.com/author/andrew-r-chow/)  ## Andrew R. Chow Correspondent Nov 21, 2019 12:43 PM UTC  Lil Nas X, left, and Cardi B perform at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 2, 2019 Lil Nas X, left, and Cardi B perform at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 2, 2019Scott Roth—Invision/AP  by [Andrew R. Chow](https://time.com/author/andrew-r-chow/)  ## Andrew R. Chow Correspondent Nov 21, 2019 12:43 PM UTC The cowboy has long been one of America’s most potent symbols. Strivers have taken inspiration from rugged frontier warriors who embodied American individualism, creativity and the quest for manifest destiny. For the most part, these icons have been confined to the narrow image of the white man, despite the fact that during the golden age of westward expansion, 1 in 4 cowboys was black. But in 2019, this uniformity was challenged by a new generation of black artists in a movement that has come to be known as the Yeehaw Agenda. As expressed in fashion, film and pop music, the Yeehaw Agenda reflects a moment of transition in which the very idea of American identity is being contested. Coined by Twitter user Bri Malandro, the Yeehaw Agenda achieved critical mass, thanks to a viral TikTok challenge in which people in cowboy getups danced to a little-known song called “Old Town Road.” The artist, Lil Nas X, mixed country and trap musical elements with a Western camp flair, and it became the longest-running Billboard No. 1 song ever. Other breakout stars Megan Thee Stallion and Lizzo wore flamboyant Western outfits in their videos, and trap-country artist Blanco Brown sparked his own viral dance craze, “The Git Up.” Even Solange, a more established artist, broadcast rodeo images in a companion film to her album. Black cowboys flooded the runway, with LaQuan Smith, Pyer Moss and Telfar Clemens leading the charge, and Billy Porter wore an asymmetrical cowboy hat to accept the first Emmy awarded to an out gay man for best actor in a drama series. In Melina Matsoukas’ feature directorial debut, _Queen & Slim_, about two black outlaws, a pivotal scene revolves around Slim riding a horse for the first time. “Nothing scares a white man more than a black man on a horse,” Queen tells him. Antwaun Sargent, an author and critic who helped spread images of the Yeehaw Agenda on Twitter, says it’s no surprise that these creators are turning to the cowboy. “We’re in a moment where black cultural producers are being given the opportunity–or taking the opportunity–to reinsert narratives that have been swept under the rug or have not been considered central to our respective industries,” he says. “The Yeehaw Agenda has shown that we have the opportunity to correct narratives in this country.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5735430/yeehaw-agenda-black-artists-reclaiming-cowboy-image/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5735430/yeehaw-agenda-black-artists-reclaiming-cowboy-image/"},"headline":"The Yeehaw Agenda Is About More Than Cowboy Hats. 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