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The Louis-Schmeling Fight
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Professional boxing was among the few integrated sports in the United States, and prize-fighter Joe Louis was a hero to American Blacks. On June 19, 1936, after rain postponed the fight a day, the undefeated Louis was knocked out by Germany's Max Schmeling.
German Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels proclaimed Schmeling's victory a triumph for Germany and Hitlerism. The Nazi weekly journal Das Schwarze Korps (The Black Corps) commented: "Schmeling's victory was not only sport. It was a question of prestige for our race." In a 1938 rematch, Louis defeated Schmeling in one round.
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 This tribute to Louis after his defeat appeared in The Pittsburgh Courier, June 27, 1936. The headline says “Joe Louis, We Are With You.”
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This tribute to Louis after his defeat appeared in The Pittsburgh Courier, June 27, 1936. The headline says “Joe Louis, We Are With You.”
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Schmeling, who was never a Nazi, was warmly received by Hitler. —USHMM #21751/UPI/Bettmann/CORBIS
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Schmeling, who was never a Nazi, was warmly received by Hitler. —USHMM #21751/UPI/Bettmann/CORBIS
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Program of the Max Schmeling vs. Joe Louis fight. June 18, 1936. —USHMM #14939/Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
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The Museum’s exhibitions are supported by the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund, established in 1990.
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