Acynthia Villery breaks barriers, preserves rodeo's untold history

Acynthia Villery breaks barriers, preserves rodeo's untold history

Acynthia Villery stands as the first African American female professional rodeo announcer with the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.  But long before she made history behind the mic, she was a little girl in Beaumont riding from backyard rodeos to trail rides across Southeast Texas, absorbing a culture that shaped her identity. A third-generation rodeo woman, Villery grew up watching her grandfather and two uncles compete and organize. Two of th…