Bright and early on a Saturday morning, a group of Bryn Mawr students boarded a Tri-Co van diverting from its usual route to take them to Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club located in North Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion. Organized by Black History Month coordinators, including members of Sisterhood*, the trip was an opportunity for Bryn Mawr students to learn about Fletcher Street and Philadelphia’s Black cowboys’ long-standing history while volunteering at the club for a day.

Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club has existed for decades, but its current organization was founded by Ellis “El-Dog” Ferrell in 2004. The mission of the club is to teach life skills, build community and instill discipline, all while teaching horsemanship. Darren Ferrell, son of Ellis Ferrell and the Vice President of FSURC, told the Bi-Co News, “all it takes is one kid bringing a group of friends” to build the life skills the club aims to foster. “We want to keep alive the history of urban riding and Black cowboys,” he added. The club has been the focus of literature, film and photography, including Mohamed Bourouissa’s exhibit titled “Urban Riders” at Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation. The club organizes birthday, Halloween, and Christmas parties where the horses are dressed up. It also offers free riding with no experience required, in return asking only for donations to keep the club going.

Read the full piece at The Bi-College News: https://bicollegenews.com/2025/02/27/bryn-mawr-students-volunteer-at-fletcher-street-urban-riding-club-during-black-history-month/