Examentrainers

The great race

In Black and White: The Untold Story of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens by Donald McRae

1		In 1936, under the irritated gaze of Hitler and				within a racist world view. Their successes
		the Nazi high command, the sprinter and long				were also claimed as proof that blacks could
		jumper Jesse Owens won four gold medals at				make it in a white–dominated world, that the
		the Berlin Olympics. Two years later, at				US was a land of unfettered opportunity – a
		Yankee stadium in New York, the				message reassuring for the prosperous whites
		heavyweight boxer Joe Louis demolished the				but double–edged for the disadvantaged black
		powerful German champion, Max Schmeling,				population.
		in a single tumultuous round.		5		Both Louis and Owens took great care to
2		Both were stunning performances, displays				avoid giving offence to white people, while at
		of competitive prowess that would delight any				the same time struggling to maintain their
		sports fan anywhere. But they were much				dignity and autonomy as black males. They
		more than that. In the context of the rise of				used every opportunity to reinforce their
		European fascism and America’s own longentrenched				credentials as American patriots. As a result,
		colour–coded caste system, the				both were routinely praised as credits to their
		achievements of these African–Americans				race. And both were abysmally ill–rewarded
		were seen as very significant. In the				for their service.
		controlled environment of the sporting arena,		6		Within a fortnight of winning his fourth
		their successes offered a laboratory–like				gold medal at Berlin, Owens was expelled
		refutation of theories of white supremacy.				from the track for life by the US athletics
		They were hailed at the time not only as				authorities. His crime was refusing to
		victories over fascism and racism, but also as				complete a tour of pointless exhibition races,
		vindications of a despised race and of				a tour arranged without his permission and
		America itself.				from which he was to derive zero financial
3		Louis and Owens were the sons of				benefit. Louis spent a number of his prime
		sharecroppers and the grandsons of slaves.				championship years in the army, boxing
		Born in rural Alabama, they both left the deep				exhibition matches for which all proceeds
		south at an early age when their families				were donated to soldiers’ and sailors’ relief
		joined the great migration to the cities of the				funds. But after he retired, the government
		north (Owens to Cleveland and Louis to				hounded him relentlessly for back taxes.
		Detroit). There, they found outlets for their		7		At times, both Owens and Louis had to
		extraordinary talents – but only at a price.				descend to vaudeville to survive – Owens
4		In an America rigidly divided by colour,				running races against horses, Louis hamming
		black champions like Owens and Louis served				it up as a professional wrestler. No wonder,
		multiple and often painfully contradictory				looking back at their careers, a later and more
		purposes. Their victories challenged racist				militant generation of African–Americans
		assumptions about black inferiority – a				scoffed at their futile attempts to placate the
		challenge more important in the end for				white man. Joe and Jesse did everything that
		blacks than for whites, who quickly found				was asked of them, and more, and they still
		ways to assimilate black excellence in sport				ended up short–changed and demeaned.

Victorious… Jesse Owens with the gold medal
for long jump, flanked by Naoto Tajima of
Japan and Germany’s Lutz Long, at the Berlin
Olympics, 1936

8		But three decades on, it is possible to see				catalysts for social change. (He exaggerates
		Louis and Owens for what they were -				Louis’s interventions against discrimination
		supreme sporting geniuses who were asked to				in the military.) More worryingly, he switches
		assume impossible social burdens. Donald				without warning from carefully documented
		McRae’s account of their intertwined				history to novel-like speculation, supplying
		destinies presents a fair picture of two				detailed dialogue for scenes at which no
		complex (and very different) individuals who				living person was present, and assigning
		sought to master their fates in a world that				private thoughts and feelings to his
		simply would not permit them that freedom.				protagonists in specific times and places for
		His book is clearly a labour of love. The				which there can be no sources. The reader
		volume and detail of research is impressive -				begins to wonder what is established fact,
		and he makes particularly strong use of a				what is hearsay and what is simply invented.
		thorough reading of the African-American				It’s a pity. The practice undermines a book
		press of the day.				noteworthy both for its compassion and for its
9		However, McRae is led by his				vivid recreations of some of the most
		understandable admiration for Louis and				dramatic sporting encounters of modern
		Owens to overestimate their impact as				times.

The Guardian