Students at Woodward Elementary School got a lesson in horse racing Thursday as guest speaker Raymond White spoke about his sister, Cheryl White, who was the first Black female jockey in the United States.

Raymond White, 62, is the co-author of “The Jockey and Her Horse,” a novel inspired by the true story of his late sister’s success in horse racing. White spoke to students at Woodward Thursday afternoon and gave a presentation Thursday evening at The Barn at Stratford.

White said he was looking forward to speaking to the students because “kids ask such fun questions.”

“Sometimes with adults, it’s crickets,” White joked. “(But kids) ask questions one after another.”

White said he enjoys talking to kids because “a lot of kids don’t know what a jockey is” but said even the students in Delaware would be more familiar with harness racing than flat racing because of The Little Brown Jug.

“She was the first black female jockey in the United States,” White told students. “I know I’m in Little Brown Jug territory, you guys have race horses here that pull a buggy but you can see that she rides on the back. That’s what we call flat racing. She rode all over the country. She had a storied career.”

White told students about his sister’s career and how she began riding horses at 2 or 3 and eventually became a jockey when she was 17 years old.

“There were only three or four women jockeys (at the time) since women weren’t allowed to ride until 1969,” White said. “She was in every magazine and newspaper. Everywhere I went, people knew my sister. She won over 700 races and set records. … She was the first woman jockey to win five races in one day.”

White said his sister passed away in 2019 but will be inducted into the Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame next month.

“To be a jockey, you had to be tough, and she was very tough,” White said. “She didn’t have anybody who looked like her back then. … The story is, you can be whatever you want to be if you really put your mind to it. If you really have a dream you can become what you want to become. That’s what this is all about.”

Delaware City Schools Board of Education Vice President Melissa Harris was one of the organizers of the visit in her capacity with the Delaware African American Heritage Council. She said the presentation at Woodward met the council’s goals to encourage, engage and inspire the audience.

“The students were able to connect with the girl in the book ‘The Jockey and Her Horse’ because she started riding at a young age, became a jockey when she was still considered a kid, and was about their size when she raced,” Harris said Friday. “Raymond White brought excitement to the students who were excited to read the book about a girl who loved horses and everything about racing who triumphed by breaking countless records and showed her perseverance by overcoming numerous barriers. Not only were the students full of questions but so were members of the staff.”

Harris said the book is available for students at all the libraries in the district and the council was grateful to the Cheryl White Project for visiting Delaware and speaking to students and adults.

Tamika Vinson-Reid, co-chair of the Delaware African American Heritage Council, said the presentation to students was “powerfully affirming” because Cheryl White’s story is “one of courage, perseverance and fearlessness — against all odds.”

“There were no female jockeys in the sport until it was allowed in 1969, and two years later this audacious 17-year-old, 5-foot-2 African American teenager set out to compete and became America’s first Black female jockey,” Vinson-Reid said. “Our children need to see that even if it’s never been done before, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done, it simply means the world is waiting on you to do it! You can think big, set big goals, and make a big impact if you follow your passion. Though Cheryl lost her first race, and ironically won her last one — she made history!”

Vinson-Reid said the council felt that Delaware would be the perfect backdrop for the story because of The Little Brown Jug and the town’s connection to horse racing.

“Horse racing permeates this town as we’ve named many of our educational and cultural landmarks to honor this tradition,” Vinson-Reid said. “Whenever we think of horse racing, Cheryl White’s name should come up! We hope that this story inspires children and adults alike to be bold. Live a life of impact and on purpose, whether they make it into the historic archives or not. We want our audience to keep uplifting and unearthing stories of unsung heroes, like Cheryl White, and to share it! There’s so much African American history that has yet to be discovered, and we’re glad to be able to bring this story to our community.”

Harris said the evening program at Stratford dove into the history of the Black horsemen, Black jockeys, and Black trainers in the 1800s at the start of the Kentucky Derby.

“Although Black horsemen were essentially forced out of the industry with the spread of Jim Crow, there were still fearless figures determined to rise and change the industry once again,” Harris said. “That journey brought us to 1971, the ride of the first female and first Black female jockey, Cheryl White, who was only 17 years old at the time. Raymond White, (brother of Cheryl White and author) discussed his family’s history and their deeply embedded roots of horse racing along with the astounding 721 wins by his sister Cheryl.”

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.