Florida Conversations: Racing’s Black Pioneers

This February, Florida Conversations complements the latest temporary exhibition, The Sport of Kings and Queens, with a closer look at Black pioneers of Thoroughbred racing. Join the History Center Feb. 11 for a Q&A that highlights the lives and labor of African American horsemen and women whose influence has long been foundational and too often overlooked.

Join us at the Tampa Bay History Center for this program from noon to 1 p.m. on Feb. 11.

The program features Roda Ferraro, director of the Keeneland Library and curator of The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers. Ferraro’s work draws on decades of curatorial leadership and original research, grounded in extensive archival collections that document the development of Thoroughbred racing through the lens of Black history.

During Florida Conversations, Ferraro brings together artwork, artifacts, video interviews, and more than 100 photographs from Keeneland Library collections to trace how the sport evolved through the knowledge, skill, and labor of Black jockeys, horsemen, and their families. Her research connects nationally recognized figures with the behind-the-scenes professionals whose expertise sustained the racing industry across generations.

Among the individuals highlighted within the black pioneers exhibit is Jimmy Lee, photographed in 1908, whose career reflects the early twentieth-century presence of Black jockeys in professional racing. Lee was known for winning all six races on June 5th, 1907, at Churchill Downs. She also examines figures such as Oscar Dishman Jr. and Robert Turner, captured together in a 1965 photograph from Keeneland Library collections. 

The Heart of the Turf focuses on the Kentucky Association track from the late 1820s through 1933, which was also home to hundreds of Black horsemen and their families. By the late nineteenth century, four future Racing Hall of Famers lived in the neighborhood: jockeys Isaac Burns Murphy and Jimmy Winkfield, trainer Ansel Williamson, and trainer and owner Edward Dudley Brown. Around them, hundreds of others bought homes, built businesses, and raised families tied directly to the racing economy, making Black participation integral to the structure and success of the sport from its earliest years.

Florida Conversations offers a rare chance to engage directly with the scholarship behind The Heart of the Turf, the first project to bring together the stories of 125 African American horsemen and women whose work helped shape Thoroughbred racing from its earliest days to the present. This program brings history to life through storytelling, images, and shared conversation.

During the talk, the curator will share details from years of research, offer unique insight into historic photographs and materials, and open the floor for audience questions. Whether you follow horse racing closely, enjoy learning local and national history, or are simply looking for an engaging midday program, this Florida Conversations event is designed to be welcoming and accessible to all.

Sign up today to join us for this special Florida Conversations program exploring Black pioneers of Thoroughbred racing.

Florida Conversations is free and open to the public and will be presented in person in TECO Hall at the Tampa Bay History Center and virtually via Zoom. A recording will be posted on YouTube following the event. The program is supported by the USF Foundation, USF Libraries, AARP Tampa Bay, and a generous gift from Shelley Blood.

This conversation also connects with the History Center’s current exhibition, The Sport of Kings and Queens, which explores the history of horse racing in Florida and the many people who shaped the sport. Together, the exhibition and this program offer visitors new perspectives on racing history and the individuals whose contributions deserve recognition.

Reserve your spot and be part of this engaging Florida Conversations event.