10/12/12 - The Howell High School auditorium held over 100 people for the movie screening of âBlack and Blueâ, the documentary about Gerald Ford, Willis Ward and the 1934 Michigan-Georgia Tech football game. Filmmakers Brian Kruger and Buddy Moorehouse have had three public presentations of the movie. It depicts the story of Michigan football player Willis Ward being asked to sit out of the October 20th, 1934 game verse Georgia Tech due to his race. When Wardâs teammate, future President Gerald Ford, quit the team in protest, he was only convinced to play by Ward himself. Ward went on to become only the second African-American to win a varsity letter for football at Michigan. He later became a lawyer, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission and then a state court judge in Wayne County. Eight-year-old Genna Urbain of Brighton saw the movie with her mother earlier this year and was shocked to know that Ward has never been honored by U of M. Urbain tells WHMI she took it upon herself to lobby the Michigan legislature to recognize Ward and to have her resolution approved. Moorehouse, the filmâs writer tells us he and director Kruger are pushing to have the movie handed out to every middle and high school in Michigan, along with study guides, lesson plans and an e-book. Urbain plans to attend the University of Michigan game on Willis Ward day, while Kruger and Moorehouse plan on celebrating with a game of backyard football. (DK/JK)
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