fight yet: to prove same-race discrimination against a famed Olympic medalist.
— Zeke Wilson
SAVANNAH, GA, UNITED STATES, January 28, 2022 – The areas of equality and constitutional rights are still ongoing issues in American society. Today, the dimensions of race, gender, and class only add to the complexity. Zeke Wilson, a prize fighter, U.S. Marine veteran, and boxing promoter, faced one of his toughest fights in a Boston federal courtroom. In his book “The Eighth Round”, he describes the racial discrimination directed towards him via the Massachusetts Boxing Commission. A unique aspect of the lawsuit was that it introduced the notion of same-race discrimination, as two of the defendants were African-American.
In Wilson’s biography, we are given a historical insight into the life of a professional boxer and the jarring transition from being the talent, to recruiting the talent. Promoting professional boxing events is no small feat, often requiring thousands of dollars, elite connections, and an overwhelming amount of paperwork. Mr. Wilson was ready to take on this entrepreneurial spirit, but when faced with discrimination by his very own Boxing Commission, it resulted in canceled shows, thousands of dollars going to waste, and an absurd amount of racial harassment over the telephone.Despite the truth of the situation, Mr. Wilson had to defend himself in a court of law, as no lawyers believed he had a chance of winning. There were around 310,000 cases filed in the year 2000, 41,000 being civil rights cases, and Wilson vs McClure was the only one that exposed the concept of “black-on-black” same-race discrimination– catching the attention of Harvard Law, Yale, and other civil rights attorneys. This was something no one had ever seen before. Not only had Mr. Wilson earned his spot in the Boxing Hall of Fame, he fixed the brokenness of Boston’s Boxing Commission, and set a precedent for “same-race discrimination” in a national court of law. These achievements have great historical value for any sport-history buff, especially those who love a dramatic, All-American story about beating the odds against a power much greater than your own.
Following these events, Mr. Wilson went on to write a screenplay based on his book “The Eighth Round”, and is currently seeking management, producers, directors, and distribution professionals to join his team and share his story across the nation. His production company, Same-Race Productions is also involved in filming a documentary, short-film, and a feature film for those who have ever felt like they have been discriminated against, and love a story about true fighting spirit.
SUPPORT ZEKE’S STORY!
Interested donors will receive special credits in the short-film!
Fundraiser for the Short-Film
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Same Race Productions
+1 843-929-9402
[email protected]
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