Standing On The Shoulder

About this film

Kevin Clark's account of the moment the story begins. Over archival stills and newsreel — Joe Louis in the ring and in uniform, soldiers crowded around him, Marva Louis, training camps and recruiting posters — word-by-word captions trace how the Army of 1943 quietly kept Black soldiers out of Officer Candidate School at Fort Riley, and how one of the men who changed that was a private who happened to be the heavyweight champion of the world. Louis used his standing from inside the ranks; the class that followed included 2nd Lt. Jackie Robinson.

Description written from the film’s own narration / captions and frames · Open on YouTube ↗