If you watch the Kentucky Derby, you know one of the most notable pastimes is a playing of the old Stephen Foster song "My Old Kentucky Home."
While it's the Kentucky state song, the ballad carries with it a good bit of controversy for its origins.
The song was written by Foster in 1853 for a traveling minstrel group, per The Courrier-Journal's Chris Kenning. The initial lyrics featured a racist term used to describe the Black slaves of the time, as the content of the song involves a slave being sold into bondage and saying farewell to their home.
Kenning wrote about this specific context of the song's problematic origins back in 2019:
The song is typically performed by the University of Louisville Marching Band and choir as the horses head to the starting gate.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: My Old Kentucky Home controversy at Kentucky Derby, explained
