Edward Dudley Brown was an accomplished black horseman in the equine industry, known as a successful jockey and trainer.

To amplify his legacy, a Lexington nonprofit was started in his memory through educational events and industry exposure.

The Ed Brown Society celebrates prominent black figures in equine and provides opportunities to students across the nation.

The Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of the equine industry, particularly the thoroughbred portion of the industry and that sport.

And then we also create opportunities for all young people to get the exposure, the experience.

The, the development, personally and professionally, to be successful in this industry and to be successful really in the workforce and whatever area that they pursue.

I've always had the side hobby, in equine at home, I do horse therapy for people with disabilities.

So that interest was there.

But, school wise, I wanted to pursue a business degree, specifically marketing.

So I set equine to the side.

And then when I heard about the program, I was able to put both those things together.

I had a background in social media management, and so that was doing a lot of graphics reels and things of that sort.

But when I got to Churchill Downs this summer, I've done the research side to marketing.

I've absolutely loved working in this environment.

Churchill Downs is a very iconic setting, and I think that's really cool to know the work.

I'm doing is going to impact Churchill Downs in the future.

My goal coming into this internship was to learn about America's best racing, and how they promote bringing in a new generation to the racing industry.

And so by working here, I have learned about how they take the videos and how they put out articles, which is a lot about betting and how the horses are doing.

And I also got to tour some farms and stuff and just learn about the background and where it all starts with the yearlings on the farm.

So every semester we have speaker series, we have student meet ups, and we also provide opportunities for our students to actually see and experience the sport for themselves.

With them coming in with minimal exposure, we do that to get them excited and motivated to utilize the skills that they're learning in school, to then have a career in this industry.

So we bring in speakers from the industry so they can learn more about the different organizations and opportunities within it.

We also do workshops on financial literacy, networking, as well as mental health to do a holistic approach and ensure that the student is well-rounded in their professionalism.

I feel like I've grown in all aspects, even outside of the equine industry, and I know that these are skills that I'm going to be able to apply somewhere else.

My hope for the students is to learn as much as they can, be well-rounded, so they will be equipped for their future careers.

We want to give back.

We want to create opportunities for more young people so that everyone who would have a predisposition to want to be involved or passionate be involved.

They learn about it and they get an opportunity to get that exposure.

The Ed Brown Society currently has 25 students placed in internships.