Second Episode Of ‘Truth To Power’ Series Provides Action Points For Those Who Care About Racing Diversity

The second installment of The Racing Biz panel series titled 'Truth To Power' aired Wednesday with a focus on practical suggestions for those in the racing community to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. The panel series aims to define and address the issues racing faces with diversity among its workforce and fan base.

See a recap of the first installment and watch a replay here.

The second panel included expertise from Renee Hess, founder and executive director of Black Girl Hockey Club, Ron Mack, founder of the Legacy Equine Academy, and Leon Nichols, CEO and founder of the Project to Preserve African American Turf History. The panel was moderated by The Racing Biz founder Frank Vespe, freelance journalist Teresa Genaro, and NTRA Director of Communications Alicia Hughes.

A few key takeaways from the discussion, with a full replay below:

  • Panelists believe the rich history of standout Black jockeys from the early days of American racing like Jimmy Winkfield and Isaac Murphy provides a great basis for bringing Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) back to the sport.

    “Ironically, Thoroughbred racing can really be called the first sport to demonstrate equity and inclusion,” said Mack. “The jockeys I mentioned earlier were not only jockeys, but they were trainers, they were owners. They held power and influence in the culture of Thoroughbred racing, even in the late 1800s. As we honor and celebrate the glory of the past, at the Legacy Equine Academy we're training and cultivating our kids for the future of the sport.”

  • Hess's model with Black Girl Hockey Club was really to provide a sense of community to the comparatively few Black fans and participants in ice hockey, though she points out you don't have to be either Black or female to join — you just have to support the mission of including more diverse participation in the sport. Originally, the club began as a fan club and has grown to become a nonprofit that provides scholarships to girls who play in travel teams around the world. Not only is that helping diversify the sport's players, it's bringing fandom to people outside the United States who may not have become familiar with ice hockey otherwise.
  • The first step in improving diversity and inclusion, Hess said, is to talk about it. Businesses and organizations within an industry will prioritize something if they believe their consumers value it.

    “Once we utilize our voices and let these organizations know that this is something the masses want to see, I think we'll be able to make these changes and drag these industries kicking and screaming because it is a financially sound decision,” she said. “Because this is the direction other sports are moving into. Our sports need to do the same if they want to remain relevant. We talk about 'growing the game' in hockey, and what better way to grow the game than to include the Black community, the LGBTQ community?”

  • Nichols hopes that his project can also grow racing by showing a new community of people that they have heroes in the sport, too. He is part of a group workshopping a screenplay based around part of Isaac Murphy's career, specifically about the famous match race in which he piloted Salvatore against Tenny, which was one of the greatest rivalries in American sports at the time.

    “Reading Isaac's story, one thing you'll learn about him is … he was so inspired to set an example as an African American male in the 19th Century that it drove him to try and rove his equalness and Black excellence,” said Nichols. “Out of that came the match of the century.”

  • Mack is hoping to continue building a pipeline from school to racing industry jobs through the Legacy Equine Academy, but said he's not just preparing the students to be grooms or hotwalkers — he's encouraging them and preparing them to become racehorse owners and corporate executives. Not only should it be possible for those students, it should be desirable for racing to see better representation at the higher levels of administration.
  • If diversity is important to you but you don't sit at the top of the totem pole in your workplace, Hess said you probably have some influence you can use to prioritize equity. Do you hire interns? Consider looking for them at historically black colleges in addition to the programs you already correspond with. Do you manage your company's newsletter content? There's a chance to acknowledge achievement or history of the company or industry through the work of diverse trailblazers. Another thing she encourages: Keep having conversations about these topics — even though they're probably going to make you uncomfortable sometimes.

    “I do think that when you are a non-Black, non BIPOC person, talking about race can be a little bit uncomfortable,” said Hess, who launched a campaign called Get Uncomfortable to encourage these dialogues. “I'm not 100% on that because I'm Black, but I get the gist that could be the feeling. But it's all about having these uncomfortable conversations … Change is uncomfortable.”

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Truth To Power Series Continues March 17 With Renee Hess, Ron Mack, Leon Nichols

The Racing Biz, LLC, a media company focused on Thoroughbred racing and breeding in the mid-Atlantic region, will host the second in a series of digital panel discussions designed to tackle issues of diversity and inclusion within the Thoroughbred industry on March 17 at 5 p.m. ET.

The series, titled “Truth to Power,” was created by The Racing Biz founder Frank Vespe in partnership with freelance journalist Teresa Genaro and NTRA Director of Communications Alicia Hughes for the purpose of bringing together participants from the racing realm and other sports to share their perspectives on racial, gender, and social inequality within their respective industries and the importance of and efforts to promote greater inclusion.

The upcoming panel is set to feature Renee Hess, founder and executive director of Black Girl Hockey Club (BGHC), a non-profit and advocacy group focused on making hockey more inclusive for the Black community; Ron Mack, founder of Legacy Equine Academy, which promotes the equine and agriculture industry to racially diverse middle and high school students; and Leon Nichols, CEO and founder of the Louisville-based Project to Preserve African American Turf History.

“We are so pleased our first panel attracted an active viewership who contributed questions and comments, and we are very much appreciative of the media coverage that followed,” Vespe, Genaro, and Hughes said jointly. “We look forward to more impactful conversations as the series moves forward.”

The first “Truth to Power” panel took place on February 24 and featured noted bloodstock agent Greg Harbut, his business partner, Lexington-based entrepreneur Ray Daniels, and Rose Grissell, head of Diversity and Inclusion for the British Horseracing Authority. An archive of that panel can be found here.

The March 17 panel will be streamed on both The Racing Biz website and social media platforms @TheRacingBiz as well as on the NTRA's Twitter account @NTRA.

Tentative dates for future panels include April 7 at 5 p.m. ET.

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The Racing Biz Virtual Series to Focus on Industry-wide Racial and Social Issues

The Racing Biz, LLC, a media company focused on Thoroughbred racing and breeding in the mid-Atlantic region, has partnered with freelance journalist Teresa Genaro and National Thoroughbred Racing Association Director of Communications Alicia Hughes to launch a series of digital panel discussions designed to tackle issues of diversity and inclusion within the Thoroughbred industry.

The series, titled “Truth to Power,” will bring together various participants within the racing realm to share their perspectives on racial, gender, and social inequality and how it impacts the sport as a whole. In addition to featuring industry stakeholders, the multi-part series will also seek out diversity experts from other sports to help illustrate why greater inclusion is crucial for any business seeking sustainable growth.

The first panel will take place Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. ET and is set to feature noted bloodstock agent Greg Harbut, a third-generation horseman, and his business partner, Lexington-based entrepreneur Ray Daniels, to discuss their experience as Black owners in racing and their non-profit the Ed Brown Society, which is working to create opportunities for people of color in the Thoroughbred industry through scholarships, internships, and apprenticeships.

The panel will be streamed on both The Racing Biz website (www.theracingbiz.com) and social media platforms @TheRacingBiz, as well as on the NTRA's Twitter account @NTRA.

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‘Truth To Power’: Racing Biz Launches Virtual Series On Race, Social Justice In Thoroughbred Industry

The Racing Biz, LLC, a media company focused on Thoroughbred racing and breeding in the mid-Atlantic region, has partnered with freelance journalist Teresa Genaro and NTRA Director of Communications Alicia Hughes to launch a series of digital panel discussions designed to tackle issues of diversity and inclusion within the Thoroughbred industry.

The series, titled “Truth to Power,” will bring together various participants within the racing realm to share their perspectives on racial, gender, and social inequality and how it impacts the sport as a whole. In addition to featuring industry stakeholders, the multi-part series will also seek out diversity experts from other sports to help illustrate why greater inclusion is crucial for any business seeking sustainable growth.

The first panel will take place on February 24 at 5 p.m. ET and is set to feature noted bloodstock agent Greg Harbut, a third-generation horseman, and his business partner, Lexington-based entrepreneur Ray Daniels, to discuss their experience as Black owners in the racing and their non-profit the Ed Brown Society, which is working to create opportunities for people of color in the Thoroughbred industry through scholarships, internships, and apprenticeships.

“As a biracial female working in the Thoroughbred industry, the issue of diversity – specifically the lack thereof in this sport – is a deeply personal one for me,” Hughes said. “I am hoping we can further enlighten aspiring allies while holding industry leaders accountable to have their practices match their statements denouncing systemic injustice.”

In addition to Harbut and Daniels, the panel will also feature an interview with Rose Grissell, head of Diversity and Inclusion for the British Horseracing Authority, which has had a Diversity in Racing Action plan in place since 2018.

“With each passing year, the United States becomes a more multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural society,” said Frank Vespe, owner and publisher of The Racing Biz. “The future of the Thoroughbred industry here will depend in no small part on its ability to adapt to that changing landscape and to speak to, and most importantly, listen to, people of all races and ethnicities.”

“The racing industry has been slow to become more inclusive and equitable,” Genaro said. “The sport could not survive without the labor of people of color, yet their voices are seldom part of the big conversations about its future. Increasing the participation of people of color and of women, on boards, in offices, and as customers, is an essential step in the industry's growth.”

The panel will be streamed on both The Racing Biz website (www.theracingbiz.com) and social media platforms @TheRacingBiz as well as on the NTRA's Twitter account @NTRA.

Tentative dates for future panels include March 17 and April 7, both at 5 p.m. ET.

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