For most of its history, the Preakness, the second jewel in the Triple Crown, has called Baltimore its home. For much of recent history, as was noted by Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in a Baltimore Sun Op-Ed, the event – while hugely important to Baltimore’s culture, history and economy, “was held within Northwest Baltimore, but not with the community of Northwest Baltimore.” That changed this year.
This year, Park Heights Renaissance, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring the Park Heights community surrounding the Pimlico Race Course, organized a companion festival on Preakness Day, honoring the legacy of African Americans as part of the state’s equestrian history.
The George “Spider” Anderson Preakness Music and Arts Festival was held in Park Heights just a few blocks from Pimlico, occupying a 17 acre site currently slated for re-development. The Festival not only paid tribute to Anderson, the first African American jockey to win the second jewel of the Triple Crown in 1889, but also focused on highlighting both the Preakness and the history of people of color in the racing industry.
