by Ada Limon
Having been a horseracing fan since the age of 8, I can honestly say the Kentucky Derby is one of my favorite days in sports. As a writer, I've written articles in support of racing. As a poet, I've written poems in praise of the horse. This week, all I wanted to think about was what hat to wear and what fast horse I wanted to put my money on. Unfortunately, my attention turned to the inky, hateful mess that's the recent edition of the newsletter, “Indian Charlie.”
In the April 26th issue, on opening day of Churchill Downs, a supposedly satirical article about how to avoid hiring undercover PETA agents suggested, “First, if at all possible, try to hire Mexicans. There has never been a known undercover PETA informant from south of the border. And let's face it, you would be hard-pressed to find a Mexican who hasn't, at one time or another in their lifetime, made a meal out of someone's pet dog, a cat and/or a hamster.”
The brutal xenophobic remarks go far enough down the racist rabbit hole that it begs a real old-fashioned rioting. This goes beyond satire. This goes beyond humor. Nor does the fact that Indian Charlie is an “equal-opportunity offender” make it okay. This is a grossly over-praised, racist rag that deserves to be burned to the ground. But how do we burn something down that is “just a joke”? We do the only thing that ever makes a difference in publishing; we take away the money. Keeneland. I adore you. STOP ADVERTISING. Gulfstream Park. Really? STOP ADVERTISING. Fasig-Tipton, XpressBet? Just stop giving this platform money. Period.
Let me say this: I do not believe that “Indian Charlie” is representative of the industry. I think racing is full of smart individuals who care for the horses, and for the human connections that work hard to make this sport run. But how can we even think about the future of racing if we're currently supporting an overtly racist newsletter? We want to talk about fashion at the races? Let's fix the racism first before we start caring about who's wearing the right type of fascinator. You want to talk about bringing more young people into the sport? Well, how about we don't let ugly, racist newsletters with twisted, harmful content into our paddocks and racetracks. Not to mention the numerous Mexican, and Mexican-American men and women that work in the industry and have to see this idiotic, supposedly-satirical rag circulated in and around their workplace.
The NBA is currently dealing with a scandal involving allegedly racist remarks by LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, and the league will be judged by its response. Racing should be judged on how it handles issues like this, too.
As a Mexican-American racing fan, I'm beyond outraged. If the industry continues to let “Indian Charlie” spew its grotesque, bigoted gibberish, I'm calling foul. This is Derby week. This is the industry's time to take center stage. This is your post parade. I want to root for the industry like I want to see the best horse win. Fix this. Don't just scratch “Indian Charlie,” put him down. And if he'd like to come for dinner, I promise I won't serve him cat, or hamster, but I could certainly teach him to eat his own repulsive words.
Ada Limon is an award-winning poet whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Harvard Review. She served as a judge for the National Book Award in 2013 and has published 3 books of poetry.
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