Kentucky Black History: KCAAH Takes Tourists Through Time for Derby
Kentucky black history and horse racing history share a space as close as the Twin Spires atop Churchill Downs. The interwoven stories of African Americans and horse racing will be on display at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage from early April through the end of May 2011, featuring the influential people who shaped horse racing.
African-American jockeys won half of the first 30 Kentucky Derbys. The last black jockey to win the Derby was Jimmy Winkfield in 1902. Marlon St. Julien became the first African-American jockey to ride in the Derby in 79 years with his 2000 race.
Aristides, the first thoroughbred to win the first Deby in 1875, was trained by emancipated slave Ansel Williamson, who is now in the Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and was ridden by Oliver Lewis, a black jockey.
During the upcoming exhibit, this is just a small sample of what you will learn about the local and worldwide history of African Americans in this beloved sport.
Knowledgeable guides will take guests through a tour of time, thanks to racing and training scenery replicas provided by Lowe’s. The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, in the restored Trolley Barns of Louisville, is a tourist’s treat in and of itself. Renovations left the basic structural design visibly intact to give visitors a feel of what the transportation hub looked more than 100 years ago. The new features and architectural design gleam around featured exhibits.
The center opened in 2010 and hosted a King Tutankhamun exhibit, complete with a replica of the Egyptian boy-king’s mummified body and artifacts from his tomb. Maximum admission for that event was $5.
The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage will announce prices and hours for the horse-racing exhibit. Call the center at (502) 583-4100 for more information or find them on Facebook.
Posted on Apr 7, 2011 by Kimberly Anderson
