Newly-minted Hall of Fame jockey Abe Hawkins, enshrined via the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Historic Review Committee, was one of the most accomplished American athletes both before and in the aftermath of the Civil War. But his successes and his enigmatic life story cannot be divorced from dark chapters in American history. Much of the early U.S. Thoroughbred racing industry was built on the legacy of enslaved or formerly enslaved African-Americans. This was particularly true in the South, where early breeding operations flourished. Many horsemen were slaves who cared for the Thoroughbreds their masters owned, with some developing their skills to become jockeys and trainers. Hawkins was enslaved for much of his life – a circumstance other Hall of Famers with ties to last Friday’s induction ceremony in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., lived in as well. The Thoroughbreds Aristides, winner of the first Kentucky Derby, and Lecomte, who Hawkins rode to a celebrated win, also were inducted via historic review. Aristides was trained by Hall of Famer Ansel Williamson, born enslaved in Virginia. Lecomte’s trainer at the time Hawkins rode him, in an example of the record-keeping of the times that placed little emphasis on Black accomplishments, was an enslaved man known only as Hark. Accepting the Hall of Fame plaque for Hawkins on Friday were Greg Harbut and Clark Williams, chairman and president, respectively, of the Kentucky-based Ed Brown Society. The organization’s mission is to celebrate the history of African-Americans in the equine industry and to create opportunities for young people of color to gain industry exposure, training, and experience via scholarships and internships. The organization is named for yet another Hall of Famer who was born enslaved before going on to win classic races as both a jockey and trainer. “When it comes to the matter of slavery with Abe Hawkins, Ed Brown, Ansel Williamson, and so many others, I submit to us that we cannot adequately refer to people of African descent who were in bondage in America – we ought not refer to them as slaves,” Williams said. “Slavery was their circumstance. Yes, they were enslaved people, but the word ‘slave’ can never accurately describe who they really were. So if we wish to call them something, let’s say they were survivors. Let’s say they were overcomers. And in the case of Abe Hawkins, we should say that he was a champion, and we should say that he is a legend.”  :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Much about Hawkins is unknown outside of his athletic accomplishments. His birthdate and birthplace are both unknown, and in accounts of his career, his surname appears out of nowhere; nothing is known about his family. He initially appeared in press accounts of races in 1851, at Metarie in New Orleans. Many of his early achievements as a jockey occurred while he was legally the property of Southern slaveholder and Thoroughbred owner Duncan F. Kenner, who was active in the Confederacy. Kenner’s purchase of Hawkins in 1854 was reported in the local papers alongside livestock sales. Shortly afterward, Hawkins picked up the mount on Lecomte for the $2,000 Jockey Club Purse against the great Lexington. Lexington, undefeated at the time, had already defeated Lecomte in the Great State Post Stakes, and Hark believed a rider change could make a difference. Lecomte defeated Lexington in consecutive four-mile heats for the only loss of the fellow Hall of Famer’s career.  The Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation began to change the circumstances of Black horsemen; along with that, the Union Army seized New Orleans in 1862, confiscating much of Kenner’s property. Hawkins was able to continue his career both in the North and the South, with his major stakes victories including the third edition of the Travers Stakes in 1866 aboard Merrill. He became the first Black athlete to gain national acclaim, while becoming the most successful jockey in America prior to Isaac Murphy. Hawkins died in 1867. His career had predated both the Kentucky Derby, which was inaugurated a decade after the end of the Civil War, and the careers of many other celebrated Black jockeys, such as fellow Hall of Famers Murphy, Anthony Hamilton, Willie Simms, and Jimmy Winkfield. In the first 15 years of the Derby, it was won 13 times by Black jockeys. It was won by Black trainers in seven of its first 17 runnings.  However, Jimmy Winkfield’s 1902 win on Alan-a-Dale is still the most recent win by a Black jockey in the Derby. Winkfield later left the United States to ride in Europe because of segregation. Simultaneously, American racing saw an upswell in prejudiced white riders trying to force successful Black riders off the tracks to create opportunity for themselves.  “A black boy would be pocketed, thrust back in the race; or his mount would be bumped out of contention; or a white boy would run alongside, slip a foot under a black boy’s stirrup, and toss him out of the saddle,” Charles B. Parmer wrote in “For Gold and Glory,” his history of American racing. “Again, while ostensibly whipping their own horses those white fellows would lash out and cut the nearest Negro rider . . . They literally ran the black boys off the track.”  The continued introduction of Jim Crow laws continued to spread segregation through the racing industry. Black riders might find it difficult to be licensed in some jurisdictions, or excluded from industry events due to the rules of the establishment.  :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “As great as they were, they were never afforded anything near the quality of life that was commensurate with the mighty contributions that they have made,” Williams said. “Like everyone else who looked like them, in most ways, they were still shut out. They were relegated to the side. And for a time, even their legacies were all but erased.”  Although Jim Crow laws were overturned in the 1960s, the damage had been done, with a number of horsemen forced out of the sport or choosing to ply their trade elsewhere, as Winkfield had done. Progress back has been slow; centuries of discrimination and resulting damage have not been rewritten in only a few generations.   In 2000, Marlon St. Julien became the first Black jockey to ride in the Derby in more than eight decades. He was followed by Patrick Husbands (2006), Kevin Krigger (2013), and Kendrick Carmouche (2021). Since 1951, only two Black trainers have saddled a Derby runner – Hank Allen (1989), and Larry Demeritte this year.  “We must work together – we are better together,” Williams said. “Today, some act as though diversity is a bad word. But hear me when I say, there is no doubt that our sport was at its best in so many ways when this industry possessed more racial diversity in some crucial professional roles where there is very little racial diversity in 2024.”  Williams said the industry is “doing better” with recognitions such as the Hall of Fame and noted the Ed Brown Society’s growing work. In 2021, the initiative launched with two scholars – Charles Churchill and Deja Robinson, who received internships as college students in Kentucky. Churchill has gone on to become a project manager for 1/ST Racing, while Robinson, who works at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, was last year named a finalist for the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards. Williams said there are now a total of 22 scholars and fellows in the Ed Brown Society programs. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.