Joe Louis: Symbol of the Fight Against Racism in America - Essay

This essay examines the life of Joe Louis, an American boxer, and his role as a symbol in the fight against racism in America during the anti-Nazi movement and World War II. It highlights how Louis, through his boxing prowess and his defeat of German boxer Max Schmeling, became a source of inspiration and pride for Black Americans facing racial discrimination. His achievements in sports helped to change attitudes and promote racial unity. The essay further discusses his service in the armed forces during World War II and how he became a public figure representing dignity and hope in an era marked by oppression and racial injustice. The analysis concludes that Louis's contributions extended beyond sports, solidifying his legacy as a symbol against racism.

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

2SOCIOLOGY
discrimination in America at that time, the way Joe Louis rose to power and championed for
eliminating race related barrier in sport is phenomenal.
Joe Louis became the most popular black in America by his pugilistic talent. His sheer
talent in the field of boxing is understood from the fact that out of 71 matches that he fought
between 1934 to 1951, he won 64 of them and 54 by knockout. As he became the first Black in
22 years to hold the title of heavyweight championship, he played a role in lifting the spirits of
Blacks who were suffering from depression because of continuous period of atrocities and
humility inflicted on them. At that Nazis were exercising their power in the whole of Europe.
However, by defeating German Max Schmeling in 1938, Joe Louis gave the message that
America’s best can the best athlete Germans had to offer (Sailes, 2017). Hence, gradually
through his achievement in sports, he won the approval of thee white by joining the army.
On further evaluation of Louis actions, it can be said that his sporting achievements had a
significant impact on changing the attitude of Blacks. As Joe became a public image and
achieved a celebrity status, he promoted the confidence of Blacks who thought that their people
who hardly get any attention from the whites (Harris, 2017). During the period of his rise in the
boxing field, the world lay on the brink of war and the Nazi’s were implementing their terror
against Jews, socialist, communist and the trade unionist. Because of the role of Louis in
increasing confidence of the Blacks, one of the sportswriter Jimmy Cannon even described Louis
as ‘a credit to his race-the human race’. Recognizing his extended role as being the public figure
to protect his race, he even served in the forces in the World War II (Wight, 2014). He served
faithfully and fought for Army and Navy Relief. Although his fame did not continued because of
heavy tax burden and bankruptcy, he became a symbol of pride and dignity in the era of
oppression.

3SOCIOLOGY
Conclusion:
The main purpose of the paper was to examine how Joe Louis, a Black played a role in
becoming the symbol of fight against racism in America. The paper gave the evidence that by
through his pugilistic talent and winning the match against German Schmeling, Joe became the
legendary figure who evoked confidence in the Blacks in the era of Nazi’s atrocities and terror
against many racial groups. His extended role of joining the army and standing against racism is
valid evidence that answers the research question.

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References:
Gordon, R. H. (2015). The Eradication of Nazi Ideology and Terminology from the Current
German Penal Code. Rutgers JL & Religion, 17, 182.
Harris, O. (2017). The role of sport in the Black community. In African Americans in Sports (pp.
3-14). Routledge.
Sacks, M. S. (2018). Joe Louis: Sports and Race in Twentieth-Century America. Routledge.
Sailes, G. A. (2017). African Americans in Sports. Routledge.
Wight, J., (2014). How Joe Louis became a symbol of the fight against racism. Retrieved from:
https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/how-joe-louis-became-a-symbol-of-the-fight-
against-racism/