The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) has a limited collection of issues of Wrestling Facts. Wrestling Facts was available at the Friday night fights, in the case of this issue, at the National Guard Armory on 6th and Exchange. Today, I want to finish looking at an issue of Wrestling Facts by asking: what are the racial politics of wrestling in 1953?
How do we understand the celebration of African American women wrestlers in 1953 in this document — without any form of sexualization. I’m so used to women wrestlers today as sex objects; how do I even begin to process this?
I’m still thinking this one through, and I welcome your thoughts about Ethel Johnson… who has been profiled here and here.
Wrestling Facts is my first contemporary text about her.