What Matters on Derby Day?
The Kentucky Derby won’t be run without some serious noise demanding justice for Breonna Taylor. Local pastor Timothy Findley Jr. of the Justice and Freedom Coalition told AJ+’s Kateryna Gordychuk how protests at the storied horse race feed into a new national awakening
Targeting the Derby
“The Kentucky Derby is a global horse race that generates a lot of money, a lot of attention — generally the entire city shuts down for that whole week. In a year where Breonna Taylor was murdered by the Police Department and there’s been no justice; in a year where COVID-19 has seen black people die two and a half times more than white people, we did not feel that it was appropriate to have this festival, this celebration. And it just seemed like the right thing to do was to send a message to our local government, to the country, that we're not okay here.
“(So) we're going to show up to the place where the party is and we're going to make our voices known and to make our message heard. We’ll be loud, but we'll be peaceful…We are not coming to destroy property. We're not coming to storm the gates, none of those things, but we are flocking to the place where the eyes of the world will be fixed on.
“And we're bringing a message that Black people are tired of the treatment by police. We're tired of the economic conditions that lead to violence in our communities. We're tired of major corporations benefiting off of us and yet making no sort of tangible commitments to the community… We know that just simply assembling in that place, just that action alone is going to get, as it's already getting, a lot of attention.
“We feel that it's a new day and there are so many things that need to be dealt with: Even when you talk about the song that is sung during the Kentucky Derby, ‘My old Kentucky Home’ — it has racist lines throughout the song, and we feel that it's a new day in a year where we are tearing down monuments around the country. We believe that Churchill Downs needs to get on the right side of history and tear down some metaphorical monuments and some literal songs that give ode to a time that, really, our country has never apologized for.
“It’s a little known history, but there are some very deep racist issues within the entire concept of the Kentucky Derby. In the 1870s, you'll notice that there were many Black jockeys that won the Kentucky Derby and then somewhere around 1912, Jim Crow and other issues forced black jockeys out of the Kentucky Derby — that lasted from 1912, 1915, all the way up to the year 2000, not one Black jockey. And the very next Black jockey was in 2013. So it's interesting when I hear the CEO of Churchill downs and others talk about how, Churchill Downs is somehow helping black communities when that is not the case. I think there needs to be an acknowledgement of the racist history and the fact that they still saying a racist song to this day at the Kentucky Derby.
On the power of economic boycotts
“In the ’60s during the civil rights movement, when you had the much famed Montgomery bus boycott, the reason why there was momentum and traction was they collectively galvanized a community of people and they went after the economic power structure of that day. If there's going to be change in this country, then we have to be strategic in going after, again, the economic power structure.
“I would remind people that, you know, when it came to the former Washington Redskins, they had been asked to change their name for years and would not do it, were resolute and were going to keep this name the same. And then people started targeting FedEx, which was a major sponsor. And when FedEx turned, the Washington Redskins turned, that's the way that it works in this country.
“(We are asking corporations to stop sponsoring the Derby.) Every single one of those sponsors understands the injustice of the Breonna Taylor murder. And I don't think in good conscience, any of those companies ought to be sponsoring a party in a city that is hurting, that is seeking justice. I just think that it is unconscionable.
“And those executives have to — I think I should say this — the people have to hold those executives accountable. They cannot be faceless. They cannot be morally disconnected. We cannot allow that to happen while at the same time shopping, and endorsing and buying their goods. We have to take a collective stand and we have to come and say, if you're going to support this action, then we have to boycott you as well.
We’re not asking for sympathy, we’re demanding what’s owed to us
“Not just in Louisville, but across cities all through America, we see, almost, segregation and distressed communities that are often forgotten. When it comes to dollars, resources, you have food deserts. Apartheid is what someone educated me on. You have lack of fresh food, which leads to underlying health conditions so that when a pandemic shows up, then that impoverished area suffers the brunt of the pandemic. If we're going to see justice, if we're going to see these things change, there has to be an economic plan to bring resources into the community. If we're going to bridge the wealth gap, we're going to have to have conversation and an action plan around things like reparations.
“What America does very well: America knows how to have sympathy. America even knows how to have, in some respects, empathy. But what America always stops short of doing, is putting dollars, putting resources into communities that need it most. We often talk about the hood. Well, people should look into red lining. They should look into red lining because many hoods in America didn't just become hoods. They were purposely designed, strategized to become just that. So, we're not asking for a handout. We're asking for what is due to us, on the backs of Black folk, we, we built this country. Slavery is what laid the foundation for this country. And we've never been compensated. We don't want sympathy. Sympathy is out the door. We need a plan.
“We're not trying to alienate people. We're not trying to be those who push people from, you know, from, from unifying, but we know this. As the late great James Baldwin said, “You cannot fix what you will not face.”
Does protest work?
“Here in Louisville, every news station is talking about Derby protess. We have forced the conversation. We're going to force journalists to have to cover two things: At the same time, you will have to cover the horse race and you will have to cover what's going on outside of the horse race. So, for anyone that says this isn't going to make a difference, it's already making a difference. As we speak Churchill downs has put gates all around Churchill Downs. They put gates on both sides of the street, because I believe they're preparing for peaceful protesting, and I can't stress that enough. I am one as a pastor, as a man of God, as a man of faith as a father, I believe in peaceful protesting, and America has to come to grips with many things. You don’t get change in this country until you protest.
“And I would say to everyone in Louisville and around the country, we would love for you to join us Black, white, whoever you are. We would love for you to show up in Louisville, Kentucky at 4.30 on this Saturday, South central park, because we want to get our message out peacefully.”
Produced by By Kateryna Gordychuk and Tony Karon
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