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Kentucky Derby bucks social justice activists, refuses to cancel pre-race tradition
The Blaze ^

Posted on 05/02/2021 11:00:20 AM PDT by Impala64ssa

The Kentucky state song "My Old Kentucky Home" has been played prior to the Kentucky Derby for the last 100 years The Kentucky Derby is refusing to cave to the woke mob.

POLL: What scares you the most? Despite pushback from people who claim the state song of Kentucky is racially insensitive, the song will be played prior to the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby at the historic Churchill Downs horse racing track on Saturday.

What are the details? The Kentucky state song "My Old Kentucky Home" is traditionally played prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby. The University of Louisville marching band plays the song while the more than 160,000 spectators in attendance sing the lyrics.

According to the Kentucky Derby website, the song has been played for the last 100 years. "Although there is no definitive history on the playing of the Stephen Foster ballad as a Derby Day tradition, it is believed to have originated in 1921 for the 47th running," the website states.

But social justice activists say the song should not be played because of its connection to America's antebellum past.

From WLKY-TV:

But the song has a complicated history. It's said to be a song about a slave's lament and the original lyrics used controversial wording about Black people.

Last year, as racial justice protests were steady in Louisville, and took aim at the Derby, Churchill Downs made some wording changes to the song the day before, and added a moment of silence and reflection at its conclusion. Pastor Timothy Findley told WLKY the song must be "removed" in order to "move forward."

"If we're going to do the right thing, if we're going to do the thing that moves our community forward, moves our city forward, and shows that we have sensitivity to what has happened in the past and a mind to move forward in the future, the song needs to be removed. I don't even understand why this is such a difficult thing," Findley said.

What is Churchill Downs doing this year? According to WLKY, the song will be played as usual on Saturday, and Churchill Downs did not say there would be any changes to the pre-race tradition.

"So what's happening this year? All we know is the band will play the song as usual. We asked Churchill Downs if there would be any changes like last year, but they did not respond to that specific question," WLKY reported.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Kentucky
KEYWORDS: kentuckyderby; thatsracist; woke
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Wokesters are what they hate. Racism can be found anywhere, if one lets their imagination run free. They're so reminiscent of those who found satanic messages in Beatles records, the White Album in particular ( why was the album cover WHITE??? FOR SHAME, John, Paul, George, To go, FOR SHAME! See how easy it is?😀😖). Reminds me of the time George Carlin quipped about a new Beatles album that if you play backwards at the wrong speed you'll hear a voice saying, "hey dummy you're playing this record backwards at the wrong speed!"
1 posted on 05/02/2021 11:00:20 AM PDT by Impala64ssa
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To: Impala64ssa

If affirmative action is found to be racist will all those who supported it be removed?


2 posted on 05/02/2021 11:03:41 AM PDT by ActresponsiblyinVA
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To: Impala64ssa

Good for them.......gotta start somewhere.....


3 posted on 05/02/2021 11:04:55 AM PDT by Dawgreg
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To: Impala64ssa

Good!


4 posted on 05/02/2021 11:05:34 AM PDT by Bigg Red (Trump will be sworn in under a shower of confetti made from the tattered remains of the Rat Party.)
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To: Impala64ssa

I watched the derby yesterday and a couple hours worth of the coverage beforehand.

For the most part, people who were not required to wear masks, such as the staff of Churchhill Downs, did not wear masks. It was nice to see.

It was reported that the Churchill Downs was at 40% capacity, but it looked more full than that.

I normally bet on the Triple Crown races, but I ran down by betting account on purpose yesterday by betting on some races at other tracks because I fear the Preakness and Belmont will be too politically correct.


5 posted on 05/02/2021 11:07:36 AM PDT by CheshireTheCat ("Forgetting pain is convenient.Remembering it agonizing.But recovering truth is worth the suffering")
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To: Impala64ssa

“If we’re going to do the right thing, if we’re going to do the thing that moves our community forward, moves our city forward, and shows that we have sensitivity to what has happened in the past and a mind to move forward in the future, the song needs to be removed. I don’t even understand why this is such a difficult thing,” Findley said.


Well, Findley belies his own ignorance. Abandoning a tradition supposedly “moves forward”. Maybe we don’t want to “move forward” in a manner which liberals such as him want us to.

Why is this such a difficult thing? To people like Findlay, this condescension is probably due to him thinking that he is smarter, more sensitive, and more understanding than us yokels who cling to traditions, when we don’t see the compelling reason to change.


6 posted on 05/02/2021 11:08:30 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Dawgreg

I personally am very tired of idiots telling ME or ANYONE else what we should do or NOT do.

They are useless—UNEMPLOYABLE-—have nothing more to contribute than their temper tantrums.

AM DONE WITH ALL OF THEIR COMPLAINTS.


7 posted on 05/02/2021 11:08:41 AM PDT by ridesthemiles ( )
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To: ridesthemiles

PS: IT was a great race-—a colt that sold for $1000 as a yearling won over $1.8 MILLION.


8 posted on 05/02/2021 11:09:52 AM PDT by ridesthemiles ( )
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To: Impala64ssa

It sounds simple but in reality all it would take to end all this woke bullsh*t is for enough people to simply ignore the assh*les and by that I mean do not even acknowledge their existence by bothering to publicly deny what they want you to do.


9 posted on 05/02/2021 11:10:04 AM PDT by billyboy15 (')
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To: ridesthemiles

AS long as the Horse was brown or black it is fine. God forbid if a white Horse won.


10 posted on 05/02/2021 11:11:44 AM PDT by billyboy15 (')
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To: Impala64ssa

Funny.

But at the Derby this was obviously due to Race-ism.


11 posted on 05/02/2021 11:15:21 AM PDT by frank ballenger (End vote fraud, harvesting,non-citizen voting & leftist media news censorship or we are finished.)
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To: ridesthemiles

I’d walk on hot coals to support entities/businesses/corporations,etc. that stand up to these damn Marxists and tell them to go to hell! I hope these woke weaklings never recover.....Coke, NBA, NFL, MLB, airlines that give in to this insanity......well you get my meaning.


12 posted on 05/02/2021 11:25:40 AM PDT by Dawgreg
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To: frank ballenger

But at the Derby this was obviously due to Race-ism.

RIGHT!.......;)


13 posted on 05/02/2021 11:26:34 AM PDT by Dawgreg
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To: frank ballenger

... GIGGLES... I see what you did there


14 posted on 05/02/2021 11:29:06 AM PDT by Patriot Babe
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To: CheshireTheCat

>>I normally bet on the Triple Crown races, but I ran down by betting account on purpose yesterday by betting on some races at other tracks because I fear the Preakness and Belmont will be too politically correct.<<

How long before they start adding or subtracting weight based on the color of the owner/trainer/jockey?


15 posted on 05/02/2021 11:30:43 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (No matter what, resist and stop the agenda of blow bidet and hairass the whore)
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To: ActresponsiblyinVA

I am completely confused. Just who is a raciest?? Anyone who disagrees with a black?? Anyone who utters a word about the antebellum south?? It is dishonest to change the wording of a song or document because it refers to a slave, or a black working hard, “lift that bale.”

My definition is anyone who thinks a black is not their brother or sister in Christ. Anyone who does not care for the well being a black.

It seems to me we want a color-blind society, not one that sees each other only by skin color.

The left seeks a society in which everyone is brown, a mixture of races. God created us as we are, into our ethnic tribes, but ordains we live in harmony.

This nation, the world, needs some serious conversation about the definition of racism.


16 posted on 05/02/2021 11:30:54 AM PDT by elpadre ( )
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To: Impala64ssa

Original Lyrics by Steven Foster

The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home.
‘Tis summer, the darkies are gay,
The corn top’s ripe and the meadow’s in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy, and bright.
By ‘n by hard times comes a-knocking at the door,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.

Weep no more my lady, oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
For the old Kentucky home far away.

They hunt no more for the ‘possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by the old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o’er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!

Weep no more my lady, oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
For the old Kentucky home far away.

The head must bow and the back will have to bend,
Wherever the darkies may go.
A few more days and the trouble all will end,
In the field where the sugar-canes grow.
A few more days for to tote the weary load,
No matter ‘twill never be light.
A few more days till we totter on the road,
Then my old Kentucky home, good-night!

Weep no more my lady, oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
For the old Kentucky home far away.


17 posted on 05/02/2021 11:31:59 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Ever notice no "champion of the working man" ever died of overwork?)
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To: ActresponsiblyinVA

It is racist.. but heck it is against Caucasians


18 posted on 05/02/2021 11:36:39 AM PDT by Sonshinegirl
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To: elpadre

We are now told NOT to be “color blind”, that we are to see black and brown color and recognoze their “suffering “ and make the path more open for them..


19 posted on 05/02/2021 11:39:08 AM PDT by Sonshinegirl
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To: Sonshinegirl

Whatever happened to...

Free your mind, and the rest will follow
Be color-blind, don’t be so shallow


20 posted on 05/02/2021 11:41:04 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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