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Summary Of J. M. Lawrence's Black Athlete

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Known for his portrayals of African-American life, Lawrence created this poster to celebrate black athletes triumphs within Olympic competitions. The Munich Olympic Games were one of the first to show black athletes purposefully not just by happenstance. Three posters in the art series feature black athletes competing in swimming or track events. By depicting five runners with batons, Lawrence references a relay race in a possible homage to Jesse Owens role in winning the 400-meter relay at the 1936 Berlin Games. Adolf Hitler used the 1936 Games in an attempt to prove the superiority of the Aryan race which failed when Owens won four gold medals. The Munich Games worked to counter the image created by the Nazi Games in Berlin.