The Slaveholding, Pro-Confederate History of the Churchill Family of Churchill Downs

Racing Needs to Reckon With the Kentucky Derby’s Roots in Slavery

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In my first article for Time Magazine, I write about the Kentucky Derby in their “Made by History” column.

I moved to Louisville in 2023 to take a position as Professor of History at Simmons College of Kentucky, the only HBCU in the city and one of only two in the state.

I quickly discovered how much the legendary Kentucky Derby serves as both a point of pride and contention for residents in the city.

Known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” the festivities begin weeks in advance. The parties, the deliberately flamboyant outfits, the hats!

Photo Credit: Bucket List Events

Yet even as some excitedly gear up for the tradition every year, others, especially Black folks, sense that this race isn’t “for” them.

Part of that sense of exclusion comes from the seeming hesitance on the part of some to robustly reckon with the race’s racist roots.

In particular, the Churchill family, after which Churchill Downs is named, deserves more historical treatment.

In this article, I do just that.

You’ll be especially interested to learn about Luke P. Blackburn who married into the family and tried to assassinate Abraham Lincoln through germ warfare. 😳

Read HERE.

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about the history of people who resisted racism, my new book The Spirit of Justice: Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance is available for pre-order now.

What, if anything, should Derby organizers do in light of the Churchill Downs namesake and their history with slavery? Comment below.