Ralph Lauren Polo Spotlights West Philadelphia Work to Ride Young Black Equestrians
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Ralph Lauren Polo Spotlights West Philadelphia Work to Ride Young Black Equestrians
The new Ralph Lauren Polo ad campaign has put a group of young people from West Philadelphia on the style and culture map.
The kids are part of Fairmount Park’s Work to Ride program, launched in 1994 and based out of the Chamounix Equestrian Center. The program gives underprivileged youth the opportunity to experience horsemanship, introducing communities of color to a predominantly whie, very privileged sport. Think our beloved Prince Harry and his friends.
"I'm still kind of bowled over that they actually took the plunge," Work to Ride Executive Director Lezlie Hiner said about the fashion giant's decision to run an ad campaign featuring her program.
On any given year, Work to Ride serves around 60 youths between the ages of 7 and 19, Hiner said. Ralph Lauren's campaign is a reflection of the program's mission. In reality Hiner is very modest, because her Work to Ride project is racking up an incomparable list of accomplishments by its young riders.
