Diane Bondarev
The Kentucky Derby is probably not the place you’d expect to find a young, black fashion and beauty journalist, but that’s where I found myself last weekend. Though my Southern upbringing (I was born and raised in Texas) meant the Derby had always been on my bucket list, I was always well aware that this elite, all-white sporting event wasn’t for me — it wasn’t for us.
The invitation to the Grand Race was kindly provided by the luxury watch manufacturer Longines, one of the official sponsors of the race. Besides what to wear, I was also curious as to how many black people would be there. I remember watching this annual event on TV with my family for years, and never once saw a black person. So, would I just have to try to blend in with the crowd of presumably rich, preppy white people? It’s not that I think I won’t fit in if black people don’t attend sporting events, but it would be nice to see my people represented while I’m there, that’s all. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. And while there weren’t a lot of black people sitting in the grandstands or higher up in the stadium (i.e. the more expensive seats), the ones I did find were dressed to the nines.
Steeet Style: Hats and dresses to feature at the 2016 Kentucky Derby
Fashion plays a big role at the Kentucky Derby. The event may be better known for its flamboyantly hatted attendees than for its lightning-fast horses. Most of these hats are big, bold and beautiful spectacle in themselves. I was quite impressed by the reasonably priced black hats, but then I cringed in embarrassment when I noticed the extravagant works of art adorning the women’s heads.
Longines held a fashion show on Friday and I sat in awe watching women strut down the red carpet in the most amazing hats I’d ever seen. Some were shaped like bird wings, some were decorated with mirrors and even some were made out of feathers. Men joined in the fashion fest too. I noticed one gentleman wearing a hat with a carousel of spinning horses. Another wore a hat with a horse standing in a stable decorated with roses.
I decided to speak to a few people of color about their unique Derby style and how they add their own touch to the celebration.
“Hats and dresses,” says Tracy Clay of Louisville, Kentucky. “I love everything about fashion.”
Miss Kentucky, Clarke Janelle Davis of Louisville, Ky., echoed similar sentiments about the excitement surrounding the Derby look.
“It’s really beautiful to see everyone come together in one big event,” she said, noting that this was her first time attending. “I felt a lot of positive energy and I’m really enjoying it.”
Eden Bridgeman of Columbus, Ohio, says the Derby is the greatest sporting event of all time.
“Everyone here is dressed to the nines, it’s a lot of fun and people from all walks of life can participate,” she said.
Bridgeman, wearing a lovely blue hat designed by Loretta Persetti, said that historically, black people have always participated in the Derby, but are now more visible. In fact, the Derby is deeply rooted in black history. African-American jockeys have played a major role in the history of the Kentucky Derby. In fact, according to KentuckyDerby.com, at least 13 of the first 15 Derby jockeys were African-American, and African-American reiners have won 15 of the Derby’s first 28 races.
“[Black people] “We’ve always participated in the Derby, but now it’s become an international event and people of all ethnicities can participate, not just African-Americans,” she said.
But from where I was sitting, in the secluded VIP area of the ultra-luxurious high-rise building of The Mansion, there were very few black people around. In fact, I didn’t notice any black people until I descended to the lower levels of Churchill Downs.
But Ulysses Jr. Bridgman, president of Bridgman Foods Inc. and a Churchill Downs board member, said he plans to change that.
“Our goal is not only to make the Derby open to everyone, but to have everyone understand and recognize that the Derby is not just for entertainment, but a great event to network and meet other people,” he said. “There are very few sporting events where you can go all day and have time in between to talk to someone.”
I can certainly attest to this truth, having collected a ton of business cards by the end of the event, but Bridgeman pointed out that most black people may not know this.
“There are a lot of black people here today, but I wish there were more,” he said, speaking with me at The Mansion on Saturday. “I think a lot of it is because of the high ticket prices, and maybe horse racing isn’t what it was a few years ago.”
Either way, Bridgeman predicts there will be more black participants in the future, a vision shared by Star Jones, current president of the Professional Diversity Network and the National Association of Professional Women.
“Junior Bridgeman has opened up the Derby not only to African-Americans, but to African-American business leaders,” she told me while speaking with me at The Mansion on Saturday. “What the Bridgemans are doing is discreetly connecting African-American women and business leaders with other African-American women and business leaders to open up business opportunities for African-American men and women.”
Jones, who is in her ninth year competing in the Derby, said she thinks Bridgeman does a great job. “He’s the reason I’m here every year,” she said.
Well, following the trend of course.
“First of all, you know it’s all about the hats here, but also all you need is a very feminine dress in pastel colors or with floral patterns to wear to the Derby,” she said.
Still, Bridgeman said he hopes people will not be limited by race when attending the Derby.
“We have to get away from this mentality of it being a black event or a white event,” he said. “This has to be an event for all people. That’s the direction of the world today. So we have to think about it and talk about it. We have to figure out what we can do to appeal to everyone and break down some of those barriers.”
