A friend of mine called anxiously wanting me to know about a story he had read concerning the little black groomsmen or jockeys holding lanterns that once were so prevalent in the South.
I really wasn’t all that interested because I hate those little statues, especially the squatty ones dressed in well-worn clothing that looked more like laborers than jockeys. That image didn’t fit well into the teachings of the 1960’s that declared black people could and should reach for the stars, our only limitations being how high we could stretch.
My friend sent me an e-mail any way that said those statues or lawn jockeys or “jockos” were a good thing. I checked it out.
According to a story in the Lexington Herald-Leader in 1998, those figures became popular because of our first president, George Washington.
The article says: “Gen. Washington wanted to mount a surprise attack on a British encampment during the Revolutionary War. Several blacks – slaves and free men – joined the group. A young black man named Tom Graves wanted to fight but Washington said he was too young and asked the boy to hold a lantern for the troops as they crossed the Delaware. When the troops rowed back after the battle, instead of finding their horses hitched to a post, the reins were in the hands of Graves, who had frozen to death. Washington was moved by the boy’s dedication and ordered a statue made in his honor.”
The account can be found in Mammy and Uncle Mose, a book written by Kenneth W. Goings. The article said another version of the story names Graves’ son, “Jocko,” as the boy who froze to death.
That may account for the short statues, but what about the ones standing taller and wearing racing silks?
My friend’s e-mail said similar cast-iron statues began appearing in the decades after Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River. The clothing worn by those lawn jockeys resembled the clothing worn by black riding jockeys who had distinguished careers during the early years of the Kentucky Derby.
Some say those jockeys, bearing green ribbons on their arm, pointed the way to freedom for escaping slaves seeking the Underground Railroad.
Black jockeys did indeed have a fine record during the early years of horse racing, and black groomsmen were some of the best at their trade. No doubt.
But I don’t see how honoring them with stereotypical images is a positive thing.
The little “jockos” I saw had big red lips, ragged clothing and big eyes. Why was that depiction necessary?
The statues dressed in racing silks were more sophisticated, but far fewer in number.
I was not sorry to see them disappear. Those that linger have been painted white.
George Washington may have a problem with that, but I don’t.
Praise the jockeys and the faithful servants in books and on plaques, if you will. But don’t put comical images of honorable human beings in your front yard.
I am a native Kentuckian, and I have worked at the Lexington Herald-Leader for nearly a quarter of a century. I've been a columnist for almost 20 of those years, dispensing my opinions about anything and everything. Born in Owensboro, Ky., I'm old enough to have lived through racial segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, protests against the Vietnam War, and the break-up of the Beatles. That means I am "old school," and my thoughts emanate from that perspective.