The Black History and Fashion of The Kentucky Derby

The time for the Kentucky Derby has finally come and people from all over the world are flying in not only to see pro athletes horse race each other on the Churchill Downs tracks but to show off the outfits they have been planning to wear all week long. However, did you know that the Kentucky Derby—both its fashion and its main event—is steeped in Black history, with a Black jockey having been the first winner of the Kentucky Derby back in the late 1800s? If you didn’t, get your notebook and pen out because we are going to school you on another important part of Black history.

When Did The Kentucky Derby Start?

The Kentucky Derby started in 1875 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, by Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., who was inspired by the horse racing events he attended in England, according to the British lifestyle and entertainment magazine Verge.

The First Winner Was A Black Man

Now, most jockeys at the Kentucky Derby are White men, but few know that 15 of the first 28 Derby winners were Black men. Even more notably, the first winning jockey was a Black man, Oliver Lewis, according to the BBC.

Why Black Jockeys Were The Best Racers

After Lewis, African American jockeys won 15 times during the event’s first 28 runnings, per the BBC. This is because Black Americans had to tend to the horses on plantations, making them experts on riding and caring for horses compared to their White counterparts, according to the Lawson Porter Scholarship Foundation (LPSF).

Why The Kentucky Derby Is A Fashionable Event

However, outside of the sporting event, one of the main reasons the Kentucky Derby attracts so many people is because of the incredible fashion worn by folks all around the racetrack. This was not unintentional but done by design by Clark Jr., who was so inspired by European racing traditions that he encouraged folks to wear their very best, according to the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Black Folks Wore Their Best Fits

Given that Black jockeys were dominating the sport and attendees were encouraged to dress up, Black people came fly like it Easter Sunday.

Segregating The Kentucky Derby

However, what started as an event for all soon dwindled into an event for only some. With the introduction of Jim Crow laws between the late 1800s and early 1900s, Black people were violently pushed and harassed out of the event they were dominating, and the Derby quickly became a White man’s sport, according to the LPSF.

African Americans Worked Behind The Scenes

That did not mean Black folks were not at the Derby at all, but it meant that Black folks were pushed into the stables, caring for horses and no longer riding them on the racetracks, according to the BBC.

Reclaiming The Kentucky Derby

Because of Jim Crow laws, Black jockeys were not seen on the track from 1921 until 2000. During that time, African Americans found ways to reclaim cultural history at the Kentucky Derby through fashion and by continuing to show up wearing their very best.

Black Folks Influenced The Dramatic Fashion

Not only did Black folks arrive looking impeccably sharp, but they influenced the bold fashion at the event, with bright colors to the big hats. According to the fashion magazine Atelier, during the Harlem Renaissance, Black Americans wore custom hats, tailored suits and billowing gowns that caught attention. It sent a powerful message that African Americans could not be pushed out of an event they once dominated.

Celebrities Showing Up and Out At The Derby

Now, Black celebrities like Hollywood royalty Angela Bassett, musician Shaboozey and the iconic Janet Jackson continue to uphold that tradition of showing up and showing out on the racing tracks.

Barriers That Need To Be Knocked Down

Althought Black Americans have found their rightful space back at the Derby, there is still a long way to go in making the event diverse and a safe space for all. According to The Root, Tina Knowles in 2024 had a “wake-up call” to how racist the Kentucky Derby can be when a White couple was shoved in front of her on the red carpet.

“On the red carpet, someone said, “Tina Knowles is next.” Another woman walked up and said, “Oh no, because we need a…” Finishing the sentence, Knowles asked, “… a White person?” Without saying more to Knowles, the woman took a White couple from behind her and put them on the red carpet first.

Fashion At The Kentucky Derby Today

And yet, Black fashion at the Kentucky Derby continues to be top tier and is not to be messed with. Every year, Black folks post their outfits, upholding a century-long tradition of going to the Kentucky Derby Black, proud, bold and loud.