EPISODE · Apr 1, 2025 · 56 MIN
Access Hour | Black Cyclists: The Race for Inclusion | Robert Turpin at the Filson Historical Society | 4-2-25
from Forward Radio podcasts · host Forward Radio
On this special 8th Anniversary Pledge Drive edition of the Access Hour, we bring you a very special community conversation about "Black Cyclists: The Race for Inclusion," featuring author Robert J. Turpin, Director of Honors Program, Faculty Athletic Representative, Professor of History at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina. He was hosted by the Filson Historical Society in Old Louisville on February 6, 2025. Watch the full recording and see the slides at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-bYcFc3s5c Cycling emerged as a sport in the late 1870s, and from the beginning, Black Americans rode alongside and raced against white competitors. Robert J. Turpin sheds light on the contributions of Black cyclists from the sport’s early days through the cementing of Jim Crow laws during the Progressive Era. As Turpin shows, Black cyclists used the bicycle not only as a vehicle but as a means of social mobility–a mobility that attracted white ire. Prominent Black cyclists like Marshall “Major” Taylor and Kitty Knox fought for equality amidst racist and increasingly pervasive restrictions. But Turpin also tells the stories of lesser-known athletes like Melvin Dove, whose actions spoke volumes about his opposition to the color line, and Hardy Jackson, a skilled racer forced to turn to stunt riding in vaudeville after Taylor became the only non-white permitted to race professionally in the United States. Eye-opening and long overdue, Black Cyclists uses race, technology, and mobility to explore a forgotten chapter in cycling history. Learn more about Rober Turpin at https://www.lmc.edu/directory/employee/turpin-robert.htm The Access Hour airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Wednesday at 2pm and repeats Thursdays at 11am and Fridays at 1pm. Find us and please donate to support this work at https:/forwardradio.org If you’ve got something you’d like to share on community radio through the Access Hour, whether it’s a recording you made or a show you’d like to do on a particular topic, community, artistic creation, or program that is under-represented in Louisville’s media landscape, just go to https:/forwardradio.org, click on Participate and pitch us your idea. The Access Hour is your opportunity to take over the air waves to share your passion.
What this episode covers
On this special 8th Anniversary Pledge Drive edition of the Access Hour, we bring you a very special community conversation about "Black Cyclists: The Race for Inclusion," featuring author Robert J. Turpin, Director of Honors Program, Faculty Athletic Representative, Professor of History at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina. He was hosted by the Filson Historical Society in Old Louisville on February 6, 2025. Watch the full recording and see the slides at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-bYcFc3s5c Cycling emerged as a sport in the late 1870s, and from the beginning, Black Americans rode alongside and raced against white competitors. Robert J. Turpin sheds light on the contributions of Black cyclists from the sport’s early days through the cementing of Jim Crow laws during the Progressive Era. As Turpin shows, Black cyclists used the bicycle not only as a vehicle but as a means of social mobility–a mobility that attracted white ire. Prominent Black cyclists like Marshall “Major” Taylor and Kitty Knox fought for equality amidst racist and increasingly pervasive restrictions. But Turpin also tells the stories of lesser-known athletes like Melvin Dove, whose actions spoke volumes about his opposition to the color line, and Hardy Jackson, a skilled racer forced to turn to stunt riding in vaudeville after Taylor became the only non-white permitted to race professionally in the United States. Eye-opening and long overdue, Black Cyclists uses race, technology, and mobility to explore a forgotten chapter in cycling history. Learn more about Rober Turpin at https://www.lmc.edu/directory/employee/turpin-robert.htm The Access Hour airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Wednesday at 2pm and repeats Thursdays at 11am and Fridays at 1pm. Find us and please donate to support this work at https:/forwardradio.org If you’ve got something you’d like to share on community radio through the Access Hour, whether it’s a recording you made or a show you’d like to do on a particular topic, community, artistic creation, or program that is under-represented in Louisville’s media landscape, just go to https:/forwardradio.org, click on Participate and pitch us your idea. The Access Hour is your opportunity to take over the air waves to share your passion.
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Access Hour | Black Cyclists: The Race for Inclusion | Robert Turpin at the Filson Historical Society | 4-2-25
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