Cheryl White - America's 1st Black Female Jockey

The Cheryl White Project's mission is to make sure that Cheryl White's legacy is not forgotten and able to help make meaningful change in peoples lives through possibly setting up a foundation, scholarship program, or some other way to create positive change and impact on the lives of others.

Donations will go towards creating and building something special to make a difference in this world in remembrance of Cheryl White.

Our goal is to make sure that she is once again a household name, an inspiration to others, and that she is placed in the historic records as she should be.

I was interviewed recently by a NY newspaper and the interviewer said that she had been researching Black jockeys. I then asked her, "in your research did you come across Cheryl White, my sister?" She said that she had not. I continued, "that is exactly why we are doing this. There is no way that Cheryl White should ever be missing from the history of Black jockeys. If someone is doing that research she should always be near the top of the list and always found."

We have also created a website that you can find out more information about Cheryl White at

The Cheryl White Project.

www.TheCherylWhiteProject.com

We hope that people will join us on this quest to make sure that Cheryl White, America's 1st Black Female Jockey, and true American legend and trailblazer is honored among the great athletes of of our time. We hope that you will be a part of this wonderful journey.

Cheryl White was the first black female jockey in the world. Cheryl’s career spanned 21 years as a jockey. She graced the cover of Jet Magazine on the July 29th, 1971 edition for this historic accomplishment. Cheryl rode her first race at Thistledown Racetrack in Cleveland, Ohio on June 15th, 1971.

As many of you who knew her you know Cheryl passed away in 2019 after suffering a sudden asthma attack and heart attack. This tragically led to an anoxic brain injury that she never recovered from.

In the 4 years since this tragedy we have been on a mission to make sure that Cheryl's legacy is not forgotten. She was once a household name.

Cheryl’s career spanned 21 years as a jockey. Cheryl White also became the first woman to win two races on the same day in two states in 1971, when she rode a winner at Thistledown in Ohio and then at Waterford in West Virginia.

She was also the first female jockey to win five races in one day, an historic accomplishment she achieved on October 19, 1983, at the Fresno Fair.

As an Appaloosa rider, White was the first woman to win the Appaloosa Horse Club's Jockey of the Year award, winning that title in 1977, and then again in 1983, 1984, and 1985. She was inducted into the Appaloosa Hall of Fame in 2011.

For Cheryl White the passion to become a jockey came naturally as she was born into a horse racing family. Our father Raymond White Sr. was an accomplished thoroughbred horse trainer with a career that spanned over 60 years having had a horse start in the 1932 & 1944 Kentucky Derby, as the 1947 Preakness.

We thank you in advance for your contribution to this goal and journey to create a lasting, meaningful legacy for Cheryl White that can be used to help others through education and inspiration. We appreciate you.