EDITED TAMPA BAY HISTORY CENTER PRESS RELEASE

On Feb. 11 from noon to 1 p.m., Roda Ferraro, director of the Keeneland Library, kicks off the season’s Florida Conversations series exploring African American history in Thoroughbred racing. 

Ferraro is the curator of The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers, a traveling exhibition hosted by the Tampa Bay History Center Jan. 10 through May 17. She specializes in the history and culture of Thoroughbred racing. With more than twenty years of experience in library, museum, and educational leadership, her work centers on expanding access to historical collections and amplifying underrepresented narratives within the sport.

Ferraro will highlight the lives and careers of African American horsemen and women from the mid-1800s to today. From nationally celebrated jockeys and trainers to the skilled caretakers who worked behind the scenes, the program examines how generations of Black professionals shaped the racing industry across the United States, often in the face of systemic exclusion.

The Florida Conversations series is free and open to the public. This program is made possible with the support of the USF Foundation, USF Libraries, AARP Tampa Bay, and a generous gift from Shelley Blood. Florida Conversations will be presented in-person, in TECO Hall at the History Center, and virtually through Zoom. A recording will be posted on YouTube after the event.

Return to the February 4 issue of Wire to Wire