diff --git a/tools/dockerfile/grpc_artifact_python_manylinux_x64/Dockerfile b/tools/dockerfile/grpc_artifact_python_manylinux_x64/Dockerfile
index 1d4e8e1a4a4b27da4b57250a229bc8f883caa266..69e624aa41a18244eed8d6c4ce85d1e174d5ad04 100644
--- a/tools/dockerfile/grpc_artifact_python_manylinux_x64/Dockerfile
+++ b/tools/dockerfile/grpc_artifact_python_manylinux_x64/Dockerfile
@@ -34,6 +34,19 @@ FROM quay.io/pypa/manylinux1_x86_64
 # Update the package manager
 RUN yum update -y
 
+#############################################################
+# Update Git to allow cloning submodules with --reference arg
+RUN yum remove -y git
+RUN yum install -y curl-devel expat-devel gettext-devel openssl-devel zlib-devel gcc
+RUN cd /usr/src && \
+  wget https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-2.0.5.tar.gz && \
+  tar xzf git-2.0.5.tar.gz
+RUN cd /usr/src/git-2.0.5 && \
+  make prefix=/usr/local/git all && \
+  make prefix=/usr/local/git install
+ENV PATH /usr/local/git/bin:$PATH
+RUN source /etc/bashrc
+
 ###################################
 # Install Python build requirements
 RUN /opt/python/cp27-cp27m/bin/pip install cython
diff --git a/tools/dockerfile/grpc_artifact_python_manylinux_x86/Dockerfile b/tools/dockerfile/grpc_artifact_python_manylinux_x86/Dockerfile
index 810499695ec45a34a69336edba21e70cebecfb82..9af80078edd51b6d023d30aeca5e2e16047ebb12 100644
--- a/tools/dockerfile/grpc_artifact_python_manylinux_x86/Dockerfile
+++ b/tools/dockerfile/grpc_artifact_python_manylinux_x86/Dockerfile
@@ -34,6 +34,19 @@ FROM quay.io/pypa/manylinux1_i686
 # Update the package manager
 RUN yum update -y
 
+#############################################################
+# Update Git to allow cloning submodules with --reference arg
+RUN yum remove -y git
+RUN yum install -y curl-devel expat-devel gettext-devel openssl-devel zlib-devel gcc
+RUN cd /usr/src && \
+  wget https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-2.0.5.tar.gz && \
+  tar xzf git-2.0.5.tar.gz
+RUN cd /usr/src/git-2.0.5 && \
+  make prefix=/usr/local/git all && \
+  make prefix=/usr/local/git install
+ENV PATH /usr/local/git/bin:$PATH
+RUN source /etc/bashrc
+
 ###################################
 # Install Python build requirements
 RUN /opt/python/cp27-cp27m/bin/pip install cython