By: Richard L. Smith
A traveling exhibit highlighting the long and often overlooked history of African Americans in horse racing will be on display in Plainfield this February.
Stable Futures Equine Career Initiative, Inc., in partnership with the City of Plainfield, announced that the Kentucky Derby Museum’s Black Heritage in Racing traveling exhibit will be showcased at the Plainfield Performing Arts Center from February 2 through February 6.
The exhibit is a companion to the permanent Black Heritage in Racinginstallation at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. It features 11 panels that trace nearly 200 years of African American contributions to the Thoroughbred racing industry, from the early 1800s to the present day.
According to organizers, the exhibit explores the foundational role enslaved Africans played in establishing horse racing in the United States and highlights the dominance of Black jockeys, trainers, and horsemen during the early years of the Kentucky Derby.
It also examines how segregation and Jim Crow laws pushed many African Americans out of the industry, while recognizing the critical caregiving roles Black horsemen continued to hold throughout the 20th century.
Visitors will learn about historic figures such as Oliver Lewis, the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby in 1875 aboard Aristides, and Ansel Williamson, the horse’s trainer.
The exhibit also highlights the extraordinary career of Isaac Murphy, a formerly enslaved jockey who won three Kentucky Derbies and achieved one of the highest winning percentages in racing history.
In addition to historical accounts, the exhibit includes modern stories such as that of Kendrick Carmouche, a leading jockey on the New York racing circuit, and horse owners Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels, whose horse Necker Island competed in Kentucky Derby 146. 
Harbut’s family history in racing dates back generations, including a great-grandfather who groomed the legendary racehorse Man o’ War.
Additional exhibit programming and other New Jersey display locations throughout February can be found through Stable Futures Equine Career Initiative.