Book III - Kennedi Carter's Portfolio

HOUSTON, TEXAS

Dates: 2019 - ongoing

Ridin’ Sucka Free is a photographic exploration of Black horsemanship and its ties to history, agriculture, and community. Through this series, I examine the ways in which Blackness functions within spaces of our own making—where freedom is felt, nurtured, and remembered. By capturing Black riders in their element, I seek to document the contemporary manifestations of an ancestral connection to the land, labor, and love that have shaped Black Southern identity. Horsemanship, for many Black riders, is both a tradition and a form of liberation. Some inherit a love for horses from their families, while others find solace in the practice independently. The act of riding becomes a means of escape, an assertion of presence, and a reclaiming of space. It is a relationship built on trust, care, and an understanding of the land—one that echoes the resilience of our ancestors who worked the fields yet dreamed beyond them.

This project emerges from a deep engagement with Black life and memory, particularly the ways in which we recall and preserve moments of joy, love, and resilience. Found and personal photographs inform my practice, allowing me to place Black life in direct conversation with ancestral memory. The affectionate exchanges between our grandparents, the family stories passed down over generations, and the everyday rituals of Black Southern life all serve as touchpoints that ground us in a continuum of Black experience. Through Ridin’ Sucka Free, I extend this inquiry to the world of Black horse riders—individuals who, through their relationships with horses and the land, sustain a legacy of Black agricultural labor and land stewardship that has long been overlooked. Through my images, I aim to document this lineage, highlighting the pride, joy, and freedom embedded in Black equestrian culture.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

Dates: 2019 - ongoing

HOUSTON, TEXAS

BOLEY, OKLAHOMA

HOUSTON, TEXAS

BOLEY, OKLAHOMA

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA

BOLEY, OKLAHOMA

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

BOLEY, OKLAHOMA