This Week in Black History (May 14–20): Black Excellence at the Derby, Jackson State Tragedy, and the MOVE Bombing

This week in Black history, we honor pivotal moments that shaped the nation. On May 14, 1885, Erskine Henderson became the sixth Black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, riding Joe Cotton under the guidance of African American trainer Alex Perry. Black jockeys once dominated the sport until they were systematically pushed out by the early 20th century.On May 14, 1970, a student protest at Jackson State University ended in tragedy when police opened fire, killing Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green. The campus later named Gibbs-Green Plaza in their memory.Finally, on May 13, 1985, police bombed the MOVE compound in Philadelphia, killing 11 people, including children, and destroying dozens of homes—marking one of the most devastating domestic assaults on a Black community in U.S. history.