Joe Louis: The Symbol of Fight Against Racism in America

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

1SOCIOLOGY
Introduction:
The main purpose of this paper is to review the life of Joe Louis, an American
professional boxer (1914-1981) who lived during the time of anti-Nazi movement and World
War II (Sacks, 2018) and answer the question ‘How Joe Louis became the symbol of fight
against racism in America?’. To some, Joe Louis is renowned as a reigning world heavy weight
champion, whereas for others he is known as the nationwide hero for breaking the stereotype of
colour as a barrier in entering to sports in America. The life history of Joe Louis is inspirational
as through his sporting prowess and wide thinking, he was able to bring significant changes in
the world of sport in America.
Discussion:
Joe Louis was the son of a sharecropper who transitioned from being an amateur to
professional heavy weight boxing champion. He held many titles in the period between 1937 and
1949. The reign of Louis as a heavy weight champion is also the time when Nazi ideology and
American democratic ideals were clashing (Sacks, 2018). Being able to rise as a shining star who
contributed to racial unity in that period is a great achievement particularly because of the era in
which he live. The review of Nazi ideology and the events leading to the World War II can
explain how Louis contribution to export is considered as exceptional and phenomenal. The
Nazis were those group of people who engaged in mass murder and atrocities driven by racist
ideology. The Nazis were of the opinion that human beings can classified as races with each race
having distinctive characteristics and this shaped culture, taste and thinking of people. The Nazis
held negative stereotypes about Jews, Afro-Germans and Soviet prisoners of war as they
behaviour did not fit Nazi’s social norms (Gordon, 2015). Hence, considering the rise in racial