THE KENTUCKY DERBY: A RIDE TO FREEDOM

THE KENTUCKY DERBY: A RIDE TO FREEDOM

  

     

Often mentioned in conversations, but rarely experienced first-hand.  The Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky is the grand place I want to spotlight in one of my May 2017 blogs.  At least once in everyone’s life, you should make the trip to the Kentucky Derby and feel the thrill of the most famous two-minutes in horse racing history. 

No other moment is more exhilarating!

For me, it began back in 2001.  I had moved to Louisville to focus on writing my novel, “One Lucky Woman.”  I knew writing a 488-page book would be grueling and time consuming.  Needing an outlet and something to look forward to, I researched the city of Louisville and recognized it was the home of the Kentucky Derby. 

As a lover of horses and an even greater lover of betting on thoroughbreds, I was excited about moving to the home of the Derby.  Before I arrived, I sent a letter of request for a ticket to the Kentucky Derby. Of course--not to my surprise--it was a sold-out event where tickets were passed down generation to generation.  Sadly, I was told the only way I would be able to get a ticket was on an annual waiting list for when current ticket holders relinquished their tickets to get upgraded seats. 

Six months, three letters, several emails and a few telephone calls later, my family and I were set to go to the Kentucky Derby!  But was I ready for the Kentucky Derby?  People had spoken about the crowds, where to park, where to eat, how to dress, etcetera…. I didn’t really know anything about this event.  I needed answers, so off I went, to the Kentucky Derby Museum!

Giddy like a school girl, I was so humbled walking into the place for it set right on the grounds of Churchill Downs.  I figured while I was there I’d take in a day of racing.  Upon leaving the Museum, I realized my trip there had been much, much more than anything I could have expected.

Did you know the first jockeys for the Kentucky Derby were African-American slaves and free men?  Did you know that by winning the Derby some jockeys who were slaves were also given the opportunity to earn their freedom?  And did you know that 13 of the 15 jockeys in the first Kentucky Derby were African-Americans?????

By spending the day reading each and every posting in the Kentucky Derby Museum, I learned an ocean full of knowledge about African-American history and American Slavery.  In particular, the winning jockey in the first Kentucky Derby was a 19-year old African-American male named Oliver Lewis.  And the first jockey to win back-to-back titles was an African-American jockey named James “Jimmy” Winkfield.  And an even deeper still, I learned that the first jockey to win three Kentucky Derby titles was an African-American man named Isaac Burns Murphy.  I was so impressed by him, I bought the branded tee shirt.    

 Oliver Lewis

                                                

The famed Kentucky Derby was about my people and no one had ever told me.  No one.

Oh yes, I was ready for the Kentucky Derby now.  I didn’t care that in 2001 very few African-Americans worked as jockeys.  And I didn’t care that very few of the African-Americans I knew had ever been to the Kentucky Derby or even cared about the event.  I guess they were just too busy putting money in the pockets of music and film stars to care about our African-American history.  I just knew that I was going, and I was going to have a ball!

         

Oh, the anticipation of it all!  What would I wear?  A large, colorful hat, no doubt.  What would I have to drink?  A shared mint julep, naturally.  And where would I take my family to eat?  At the revolving restaurant, on top of the Galt House, of course.  It was Derby day in Louisville and I was finally ready.

So…if you find yourself needing a kick-start to your normal routine, I suggest you take the first Saturday in May and go to Louisville, Kentucky.  Whether you have a ticket or not, it’s a party going on.  Find time to see the pictures of the first jockeys in the Kentucky Derby Museum.  Wear a hat, then take it off in a salute to those who won the “Ride to Freedom!”

I won a trifecta the day I went to the Derby.  The money I won, I later spent buying tickets for the 2002 Kentucky Oaks.

Betting on the Kentucky Derby events has been a treasured tradition ever since.

*Vanessa Brantley  Style395.blogspot.com  May 20, 2017,  "The Kentucky Derby: A Ride to Freedom", Volume 6, Blog 1b [vol. 6, 1a-1c].

B. SMITH: ROLE MODEL EXTRAORDINAIRE

 B. Smith: Role Model Extraordinaire

It’s 1976.  Vanessa and her classmates dance about the Fox Theater atrium with big smiles and loud cheering.  They have just graduated from high school and it feels so good!  So many possibilities and so much to accomplish.  It’s America’s bicentennial and the opportunities to change African-American history, the country’s history, is moments away. 

In New York City, a young woman with the smile of angels, is set to make fashion history.  No, I don’t mean Beverly Johnson and I don’t mean Peggy Dillard.  This young woman was from Pennsylvania and about to pose her way onto the cover of a national fashion magazine.  Her name is B. Smith and the magazine was Mademoiselle.   Few people give her the proper recognition she deserves.  She too deserves the notoriety.  For without Barbara Smith (professionally known as B. Smith), there are many firsts in the world of entrepreneurship that none of us could claim.

To know B. Smith is to go to her website and read her biography.  From her tagline that reads “What you do, do it with Style” to her 2016 book Before I Forget, written with her husband Dan Gasby, B. Smith is a female maverick who took the worlds of fashion, restaurant ownership, cooking, publishing, home décor and mass communications by storm.  No barrier was strong enough to keep her from dreaming of and achieving her goals.

Enter the world of B. Smith.

After the historic cover, B. Smith wasn’t satisfied with the fame of being a successful model.  Her sights were set on something more substantial.  It was the life of an entrepreneur that would satisfy her culinary delights.  Advancing as a celebrity chef, she was encouraged to open her first restaurant.  Over time, she spun her unique combination of African-Asian influences into three successful restaurants.  They were located in the popular areas of Theater Row in New York City, exclusive Sag Harbor, New York and the heart of America, in Washington, D.C. 

With a natural talent for talking about food, cooking food and running businesses, B. Smith expanded her empire into radio and television.  As the host of her own television and radio shows, B. Smith with Style, she spent almost a decade helping us live our lives with style, great food and beauty surroundings.  She helped us decorate our homes, cook fancy meals, learn from other cultures and even fuse cultural styles.  Having coined the style phrase, Afrasian, B. Smith set a standard for her uniqueness to become the first African-American woman to sell a home décor collection in a major national retailer. 

Even now, the B. Smith Home Collection of bedding, tabletop and bath products can be found at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  And further, her B. Smith Olive Oil is a stable at Walmart.  Now tell me, besides make-up, what super model has made her brand a true “household name?”

B. Smith.  That’s who.

Sadly though I have to report, in 2013, B. Smith was told that she was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.  A couple of years ago, she and her husband had to make the heart-wrenching decision to close her restaurants to focus on her deteriorating condition.  With the release of their 2016 book, Before I Forget, which is about living with the disease, she is now an advocate for people learning about and supporting research on the disease.

In learning about her life, after reading USA Today and several other publications, that Alzheimer’s Disease is one that I really had not paid attention to in relation to my own life.  Yes, I know about diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease in relation to the African-American community, but Alzheimer’s Disease?  I didn’t know much of anything. 

Did you know data supports the fact that 2 out of 3 patients with Alzheimer’s Disease are women?  And did you know that African-Americans are two to three times more likely to get the disease?  Are we ready for the devastating decisions our families would have to make when this disease is diagnosed?

Sure, B. Smith has a great and wonderful life history.  Yet, B. Smith was lost for over 50 hours last year struggling to recall how to get home.  This disease is no joke.  Learn from her life experiences.  First, live out your dreams.  Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.  Second, prepare for the unexpected.  Don’t be afraid to get tested, talk to people, ask for help, offer help, and definitely ask the questions you need to ask. 

How awful not to be able to remember such a dynamic life?

B. Smith is still here.  She is still my Role Model Extraordinaire.  She has shown me the path to success, dignity and strength.  Remember her motto, ”What You Do, Do It With Style” and might I add…with Humility and Grace.


*Vanessa Brantley  Style395.blogspot.com  May 7, 2017,  "B. Smith: Role Model Extraordinaire", Volume 6, Blog 1a [vol. 6, 1a-1c].