Published 2:20 pm Monday, February 7, 2022
The Winchester Black History & Heritage Committee will host a documentary film screening about four special pioneers of the gridiron Friday.
The free showing of “Black in Blue” will be Saturday night at the Leeds Center for the Arts in downtown Winchester. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and showtime is at 7.
The 2019 film by writer and director Paul Wagner chronicles the trials, tribulations, and ultimate success of Nate Northington, Greg Page, Wilbur Hackett and Houston Hogg, integrating the South’s most popular sport during the volatile racial climate of the 1960s.
Hackett is a Winchester native and the first team captain of color in SEC history.
“All I wanted to do was to get an education and play football. The historical aspects of it never really crossed my mind,” Hackett said in a 2019 story published by The Kentucky Kernel. “I was too busy trying to survive.”
The film event was previously scheduled for last Saturday but was postponed due to the potential for severe winter weather.
Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases, the Leeds Center requires proof of vaccination or a negative test that is 48 hours old to attend the event. Masks are required.