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The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers
The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers
The Keeneland Library launched The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers in the Library from February 23 to December 8, 2023, before traveling the exhibit. Since its launch, more than 200,000 youth and adults from nearly every state and 35 countries have freely engaged with the exhibit and its educational programs.
The groundbreaking exhibit that follows the lives and contributions of Black horsemen and women from enslavement to today engaged visitors with exhibited interpretive panels and never-before-displayed photographs, artwork, artifacts, and video interviews. More than 100 photographs from Keeneland Library collections captured moments across their varied careers, while commissioned artwork by LaVon Williams and loaned artwork from the Kentucky Derby Museum, the International Museum of the Horse, and private collections honored their lasting legacies.
Lexington’s East End, home to the Kentucky Association track from the late 1820s through 1933, also was home to many Black horsemen and their families. By the late 1800s, four future Racing Hall of Famers lived in Lexington’s East End: jockeys Isaac Burns Murphy and Jimmy Winkfield, trainer Ansel Williamson, and trainer/owner Edward Dudley Brown. Hundreds of others bought their homes, built their businesses, and raised their families in surrounding neighborhoods.
Keeneland Library Collection
That many of the city’s leading horsemen were African American and living near the Kentucky Association track shaped the East End’s heritage as a historic industry hub for pioneering Black horsemen. The economy of the Bluegrass and viability of the Thoroughbred industry as a whole are rooted in their skill, hard work, knowledge, and tenacity.
From race track superstars to behind-the-scenes caretakers, The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers showcases select stories of the countless African Americans who forged their way in Kentucky and beyond from the era of slavery to the present, making the racing industry what it is today.
Traveling Exhibit
In September 2023, the Library launched The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers traveling exhibit as an extension of our education and outreach initiatives in the community. To host The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers traveling exhibit in your schools, community centers, or gallery space, contact Roda Ferraro at [email protected].
The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers is sponsored by the Keeneland Association and supported with funding from the Kentucky Historical Society. For more information about the Kentucky Historical Society, see history.ky.gov.
Traveling Exhibit Schedule
Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center
300 E Third St, Lexington, KY 40508
Exhibit Hosting Dates: September 7 to November 5, 2023
Lexington Public Library - Central Branch
140 E Main St, Lexington, KY 40507
Exhibit Hosting Dates: October 11 to December 3, 2023
University of Kentucky William T. Young Library
401 Hilltop Ave, Lexington, KY 40506
Exhibit Hosting Dates: January 3 to February 29, 2024
Bryan Station High School
201 Eastin Rd, Lexington, KY 40505
Exhibit Hosting Dates: February 1-15, 2024
Sayre Christian Village & Friendship Towers
580 Greenfield Drive, Lexington, KY 40517
Exhibit Hosting Dates: February 12-26, 2024
Lexington History Museum
210 N Broadway, Lexington, KY 40507
Exhibit Hosting Dates: February 29 to May 5, 2024
Locust Trace AgriScience Center
242 Locust Farm Road, Lexington, KY 40511
Exhibit Hosting Dates: March 4-18, 2024
Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
300 Coffee Tree Rd, Frankfort, KY 40601
Exhibit Hosting Dates: March 26 to May 31, 2024
Black Sports Business Symposium
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Exhibit Hosting Dates: May 29 to June 1, 2024
Woodford Library
115 N Main St, Versailles, KY 40383
Exhibit Hosting Dates: May 29 to July 28, 2024
Rose Mary C. Brooks Place
200 Rosemary Dr, Winchester, KY 40391
Exhibit Hosting Dates: August 1-15, 2024
Gateway Regional Arts Center
101 E. Main St, Mt. Sterling, KY 40353
Exhibit Hosting Dates: August 13 to September 27, 2024
Henry County Public Library
280 E. Broadway, Eminence, KY 40019
Exhibit Hosting Dates: August 22 to September 25, 2024
Old Friends
1841 Paynes Depot Rd, Georgetown, KY 40324
Exhibit Hosting Dates: October 2-31, 2024
Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum
135 Dupree Pl, Aiken, SC 29801
Exhibit Hosting Dates: December 4, 2024 to January 17, 2025
University of Louisville Ekstrom Library
2215 S. 3rd St, Louisville, KY 40208
Exhibit Hosting Dates: January 10 to March 6, 2025
Maryland Horse Library & Education Center
321 Main St, Reisterstown, MD 21136
Exhibit Hosting Dates: February 1-28, 2025
Paul Sawyier Public Library
319 Wapping St, Frankfort, KY 40601
Exhibit Hosting Dates: February 1 to March 31, 2025
Harold Washington Public Library Center
400 S. State St. Chicago, IL 60605
Exhibit Hosting Dates: February 7 to March 31, 2025
Bryan Station High School
201 Eastin Rd, Lexington, KY 40505
Exhibit Hosting Dates: February 10 to February 21, 2025
Georgetown and Scott County Museum
229 East Main St. Georgetown, KY 40324
Exhibit Hosting Dates: February 26 to March 7, 2025
Locust Trace AgriScience Center
242 Locust Farm Road, Lexington, KY 40511
Exhibit Hosting Dates: March 24 to April 4, 2025
Boone County Public Library
1786 Burlington Pk, Burlington, KY 41005
Exhibit Hosting Dates: April 1-30, 2025
Marion County Public Library
201 E. Main St, Lebanon, KY 40033
Exhibit Hosting Dates: April 4-27, 2025
National Sporting Library & Museum
102 The Plains Rd. Middleburg, VA 20117
Exhibit Hosting Dates: May 9 to September 13, 2025
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
191 Union Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Exhibit Hosting Dates: July 10 to September 28, 2025
Tates Creek Public Library
2638 Walden Dr, Lexingotn, KY 40517
Exhibit Hosting Dates: November 4-30, 2025
Scott County Public Library
104 S. Bradford Ln, Georgetown, KY 40324
Exhibit Hosting Dates: January 30 to March 1, 2026
Community Youth and Adult Educational Programs
Want to learn more about the contributions of African Americans in the horse industry or dig deeper into the East End’s heritage as a historic hub for racing’s Black pioneers? To book an in-classroom educational program for students or an onsite educational program for community and corporate groups, contact the Keeneland Library at 859-288-4223.
Keeneland Library Hemment Collection
Exhibit Companion Book
This online book was published to enhance The Heart of Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers education and outreach initiative. Spanning nearly 200 years of history with compelling stories and images, this resource was developed for middle and high school classrooms, equine industry students, community and industry organizations, and learners of all ages.
For physical copies of the book, contact Roda Ferraro at [email protected] or place your order online while supplies last. All book proceeds benefit the Keeneland Library Foundation which supports the Library’s preservation, education, and outreach mission and funds projects to expand access to its collections.
Video Interviews
Keeneland Library created video interviews as part of The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers to enhance the exhibit’s educational efforts and to build oral history resources for future researchers. The first set of ten interviews was produced by Ed Brown Society Associate Timothy Campbell during his 2023 appointment with the Library. All interviews were conducted in May and June 2023.
Campbell describes his associateship with the Library as “a once in a lifetime experience I won’t forget. During my time with Keeneland Library I learned a great deal about theindustry. Working with Roda Ferraro on the exhibit and video interviews was especially memorable, as I start my career blending history, film, and museology. The oral histories we captured are significant. Far too often, we have to infer how historical subjects felt. But through interviews like these, we have a better sense of the experience of African American horsemen and women.”
Traveling Exhibit Curatorial Team
Curator: Roda Ferraro
Historical Consultant: Yvonne Giles
Exhibit Panel Designer: Jessica Downey
Traveling Exhibit Sponsor
Keeneland Association
Project supported with funding from the Kentucky Historical Society