The Sucka Free (SF) Derby

Kentucky Derby Ritual

Observed on the First Saturday in May
First Observance: 2024

The Sucka Free Derby is an annual ritual that reclaims the often-overlooked history of Black horsemen and the foundational role they played in the origins of the Kentucky Derby.

Developed through Afatasi’s ongoing lineage-based practice, the observance combines historical education, fashion, pageantry, and community gathering to reconnect participants with a legacy that has too often been forgotten. Through curated exhibitions, artist-designed original curriculum, storytelling, regalia, and shared celebration, the event transforms the Kentucky Derby into a living classroom where history is experienced rather than simply taught.

Rooted in the belief that cultural knowledge encourages cultural participation, The Sucka Free Derby invites people of every generation to see themselves within this history—and to carry it forward with pride.

This ritual returns each year as part of the Celestial Calendar of The Afatasi Universe.