By Rayna Reid Rayford ·Updated March 18, 2024
In 1971, when she was only 17-years-old, Cheryl White made history as “the first licensed Black female jockey” in America.
Just before she died of a heart attack in 2019, White told a reporter “I just wanted those gates to open.” Even though White was referring to the starting gates, throughout the course of her career, she opened many gates for the Black jockeys who
