During the 1976 bicentennial celebration of the United States, President Gerald R. Ford designated February as Black History Month, the result of a proposal first set in motion in the late 1960s by Black educators. It has been observed in our country ever since. But those wishing to learn about Kentucky's Black heritage can do so any time of year, particularly in Louisville, where enlightening exhibits and experiences can be found.
Kentucky Derby Museum
The Kentucky Derby is known for pageantry, fun and horse racing excellence, but today it’s not so well known for Black equestrians. The Kentucky Derby Museum hopes to change that with its new 90-minute African Americans in Thoroughbred Racing Tour that covers the museum and the adjacent Churchill Downs racetrack.
Tour guide Keyana Bilyeu leads a group to the Aristides Garden, where a life-sized bronze statue ringed by scarlet tulips honors the chestnut colt that won the inaugural Kentucky Derby back in 1875. Some are surprised to learn Oliver Lewis, the Kentucky jockey who rode Aristides to victory, was Black, as were 12 other jockeys in the 15-horse field.
As Bilyeu walks the horse-loving crowd over to the white post that once marked the racetrack’s finish line, she imparts an interesting fact: In the first 28 runnings of the Kentucky Derby, African-American jockeys won 15.
Kentucky’s famous Thoroughbred racing industry has a long history of Black jockeys, trainers and grooms, especially in the early years of the Kentucky Derby, when horse racing was one of the most popular sports in America. These horsemen were widely regarded as some of the best in the world, but the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision that endorsed racial segregation and the rise of Jim Crow laws in the post-Reconstruction South pushed Blacks out of the sport, and their contributions were all but forgotten.
When sidelined jockeys did manage to ride, they often encountered hostility from resentful White jockeys.
“If they were even able to get a mount at that time, White jockeys would push the African-American jockeys up against the rail and hit them with their riding crops,” Bilyeu says. “The people that were the backbone of the [racing] community were being betrayed by the sport that they had put everything into.”
Even Willie Simms (1870-1927), the only African American jockey to win the Triple Crown—the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes—had a hard time getting on the track during such a racially charged era.
But it’s a new day, and African Americans are slowly returning to their rightful place in the sport.
“We’ve seen a big resurgence of African Americans owning horses again and trying to get back into the sport to connect to those original roots,” Bilyeu said.
When Marlon St. Julien placed seventh aboard Curule in the 2000 Kentucky Derby, he became the first African-American jockey to compete in the race since 1921.
The most thrilling part of the tour is standing in the grandstands overlooking the track where thousands of Derby fans cheer on their favorite horse during the “most exciting two minutes in sports.” The stands are empty now, but it’s still a great spot for captivating stories of history-making victories.
The Churchill Downs clubhouse is home to the “Peb Murals,” a pair of 60-foot-long paintings named for Pierre “Peb” Bellocq, the French-American horse-racing cartoonist who created them. The first features good-natured caricatures of every Derby-winning jockey from the first running of the iconic race in 1875 through the 2004 edition, and the second is an homage to the trainers who helped the victors to the winner’s circle.
Bilyeu points out Kentuckian Isaac Burns Murphy, considered one of the best jockeys of all time. A former slave, he won the Derby three times—in 1884, 1890 and 1891—and was a wealthy superstar, much like modern NFL players, at a time when African Americans got little respect.
Ansel Williamson, also a former slave, trained Aristides and is depicted in the trainers’ mural.
The tour concludes at the museum’s African Americans in Thoroughbred Racing exhibit. Artifacts include the yellow silk purse Murphy received when he won the 1891 Kentucky Derby and ankle boots worn by Aristides. The exhibit is slated to expand and move to a more prominent location.
Bilyeu passes around a list of all the Black Derby-winning jockeys and asks everyone to read the names aloud in unison as a way of remembering them.
“Oliver Lewis, Jimmy Winkfield, Billie Walker, Willie Simms, Alonzo Clayton, James ‘Soup’ Perkins …”
The list goes on. The recitation feels like a prayer. Perhaps that’s how it should be—a prayer for future racial equality in the sport that defines the Bluegrass State.
If You Go:
African Americans in Thoroughbred Racing Tour Churchill Downs, 704 Central Avenue, Louisville, Saturdays at 1PM, $15 admission, 502.637.1111, derbymuseum.org
Roots 101 African American Museum
Another place to explore Kentucky’s Black history is the Roots 101 African American Museum, the newest addition to Louisville’s Museum Row. It was in the planning stages long before the city became embroiled in protests sparked by the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black medical worker shot and killed by Louisville police during a bungled nighttime raid on her apartment. But now the March opening of this “healing space,” as founder Lamont Collins calls it, is more meaningful than ever.
Exhibits unfold on four floors, beginning with the Stolen Legacy gallery. A wide-eyed African fon (king), holding a pair of elephant ears that symbolize strength and intelligence, stands tall and proud behind glass. The life-sized wooden figure—probably from the 18th century—is a fine example of the Bamileke art of the Cameroon grasslands, a region widely heralded as the source of some of Africa’s most compelling art.
The ruler is surrounded by bronze figures inspired by the Benin period (13th-19th century), including a royal courier and a 4-foot sitting man that once served as a boundary marker in Nigeria. For those knowledgeable about African art, these stately figures may bring to mind the Benin Bronzes—priceless, culturally significant artifacts looted by British troops in 1897 when they captured Benin City, now part of southern Nigeria.
In stark contrast to these dignified depictions of Africans, the Derogatory Images gallery exhibits grotesque caricatures of African Americans. Mammy dolls smile contentedly in their servitude, and other figures portray men as buffoons and simpletons. Many of these images are attached to mainstream products—everything from beans to syrup—marketed to White consumers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A box with the name of a defunct tobacco company that includes a racial slur is jarring. (See Spike Lee’s 2004 mockumentary C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America.)
While such overtly racist images are no longer common, Collins believes that young African Americans still encounter negative messages and remain alienated from their cultural heritage. He hopes the museum will change that and help shape a positive self-image.
“If they think of themselves as the descendants of queens and kings that were enslaved in America, that’s a whole different mindset,” Collins said. “If young people have that mindset, they have a responsibility to live up to that legacy.”
A replica of a room in the Allen Hotel, once Louisville’s largest Black-friendly hotel, takes visitors back to the era of racial segregation, when Black travelers had to carefully plan their trips. Many relied on The Negro Motorist Green Book, a booklet that listed hotels and other businesses that welcomed Blacks and often were Black-owned. A 1940 copy is incorporated into the exhibit.
The uplifting, joyful side of African-American culture also is showcased. “September,” the 1978 song by Earth, Wind & Fire, reverberates throughout The Roots of African American Music of Kentucky exhibit, a tribute to lead guitarist Johnny Graham, who hailed from Louisville.
Sequined blue dresses worn by The Pearls, a trio of popular Louisville vocalists, sparkle alongside a flashy jacket owned by Jerry Green, a local music celebrity and nightclub owner.
Hang around long enough, and the music segues to “What Kind of Man Are You” featuring Mary Ann Fisher’s bluesy vocals. Fisher (1923-2004) rose from humble beginnings—she spent part of her childhood in the Kentucky Home Society for Colored Children in Louisville—to tour with Ray Charles. Check out her chic black evening gown.
Also noteworthy are artworks by talented Black Kentucky artists such as Sam Gilliam and Ed Hamilton.
Behind the Roses, an exhibit of artwork by Jason Dafri Thompson that references the Kentucky Derby, is a tribute to African Americans in Thoroughbred racing.
A memorial to Breonna Taylor in Jefferson Square Park is being relocated to the fourth floor, a sobering reminder of the city’s 2020 protests demanding social justice.
Collins said that Taylor’s death solidified the need for the museum.
“You have to have a museum to break the myth of [White] supremacy,” Collins said. “I want to break down barriers so we can go through a healing process.”
If You Go:
Roots 101 African American Museum, 819 West Main Street, Louisville, $6-$8 admission, 502.384.1940, roots-101.org
Kentucky Firsts
The Frazier History Museum also shines a light on Kentucky’s rich Black heritage. “Great Kentuckians,” part of the new “Cool Kentucky” permanent exhibit, includes many of Kentucky’s Black trailblazers in a list of “firsts.” Anna Mac Clark was the first African-American WACC officer to command White troops; St. Elmo Brady was the first to earn a doctorate in chemistry; and Moneta Sleet Jr. was the first to win a Pulitzer Prize, a recognition of his photography at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral. A 1978 copy of Rolling Stone features boxing heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Admission is $10-$14.
Frazier History Museum, 829 West Main Street, Louisville, 502.753.1699, fraziermuseum.org
The Unfiltered Truth Collection
Want to meet jockey Isaac Murphy? You can, thanks to the Unfiltered Truth Collection that launches in March. Actors take on the identities of Black Kentuckians of the past, both famous and not famous, providing accounts of their experiences during the era in which they lived.
Murphy shares enthralling tales of hurtling toward the Derby finish line, but an enslaved laundress and a 19th-century bourbon distillery worker tell their stories, too. Hear how an African king’s misfortune led to enslavement in America and how Mary Ann Fisher became Ray Charles’ muse.
Performances will be at the Frazier History Museum, the Kentucky Derby Museum, Roots 101 and other locations around Louisville.
For more information, visit gotolouisville.com/unfiltered-truth-collection.
Muhammad Ali Center
Located in downtown Louisville, the Muhammad Ali Center serves as a tribute to one of Louisville’s favorite sons, the late boxing great Muhammad Ali. But the center offers so much more. With an award-winning interactive museum, educational programs and special events, it seeks to inspire those who visit to achieve their greatest potential. Particular focus is given to the six core principles of Ali’s life—confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect and spirituality.
As of press time, the center remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with tentative plans to reopen in April. For updates on its reopening, visit alicenter.org.