a letter from our founder

Dear Community Partners,

It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with Louisville.

When I moved here from Miami almost 20 years ago, I had planned to return to my hometown of Rochester, New York, after feeling as though I could not make this place my permanent home. That was until I attended the Kentucky Derby in 2005.

Experiencing the generosity of many women and witnessing the unbridled spirit of Louisvillians during Derby week, the gracefulness of the racehorses, the explosion of fashion everywhere, and the pride in the people present, I was captivated. But while the positive energy was undeniable, at that time, I noticed the segregated manner in which we celebrated and engaged in the Kentucky Derby --especially within our business community.

Yes, the Kentucky Derby was amazing, but I saw gaps and opportunities for us to make it even better. The Derby makes a significant financial impact - millions of dollars annually -- but the economic boom was not benefitting all of us. We were enjoying the most iconic sport of kings in silos while a small percentage becomes richer and the majority of us have a good time. Everyone continued to carry on with business as usual. I could not grasp our “okay-ness” with this. And when I would ask others about it, the answer was the same: ‘What on earth are you talking about? This is just how things are done.’ And because I am a firm believer in presenting solutions to problems, I was not shy about giving suggestions. These suggestions were often met with scrupulous uncertainty: ‘Mind your place, young lady’, or ‘Derby is too expensive for you to play’ or ‘Hmmm... I don’t know about that.’

Regardless of the resistance I faced, I was sure about one thing: if 73 people could gather in Austin, Texas and create South by South West, one of the most significant conferences in Austin, why couldn’t I create a conference during the week of the Kentucky Derby?

After living in major metro cities such as Philadelphia, Paris, and New York, I believed that with intentionality comes a rich blend of diverse engagement that could elevate the Kentucky Derby traditions. It is hard to sit idle when I know we can do better. Despite a full plate of momhood, grand motherhood, wifehood, sisterhood, and entrepreneur-hood, I still make time for “diversityhood.” Five years in, we have continued to make something good even better for everyone. Founded in 2017, formerly known as the Derby Diversity Business Summit (DDBS), this year’s Derby Diversity Week(DDW) brings together the world’s top suppliers, buyers, executives, and business leaders, inclusive of all diverse groups (minorities, women, LGBTQ+, Veterans and disabled) to network, develop, and enjoy the Kentucky Derby.

My dream is for DDW to be instrumental in eliminating the prejudices and stereotypes that hinder economic progress for all people by empowering the marginalized to participate in one of the largest economic drivers in our state - and horse racing. After all, the first Kentucky Derby and all its fanfare was the result of 13 black sportsmen– aka, jockeys- and the amazing women in their lives. Our 7-day event focuses on best practices for businesses including proactive conversations around the state of affairs in diversity, supports, entrepreneurship, workforce, and supply chain by day, and fun, memorable, festival-esq activities by night. We provide an outlet where entrepreneurs can participate in competitions to fine tune business concepts in collaboration with peers. We have created a marketplace to transact, an outlet for attendees and speakers to learn and absorb and an opportunity to let your hair down and create authentic relationships we hope lead to real business opportunities.

We did it, we survived two years of virtual connectivity. Take a moment to stop and smell the roses. With some familiar faces absent, and new many faces joining us shoulder to shoulder – be proud in knowing that you will look back one day when the next generation is fussing about their Derby Diversity Week plans. Simply smile and reminisce on how you contributed to keep us growing and thriving together. How you made a contribution to setting into motion an event that will have a lasting impact with people who have heart. People who desire to leave this world better than how they found it.

I love ya’ll. Now let’s do derby our way.