'Lady Wrestler' Is About Succeeding Against the Odds

The documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring" tells the little-known story of courageous African-American women like Ethel Johnson, Babs Wingo, Marva Scott and Ramona Isbell who braved racism and sexism in the 1950s and '60s to become international superstars in the male-dominated world of professional wrestling.

"Lady Wrestler," which I directed," will screen on Saturday, March 23, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. in the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City. For tickets and more information, click here.

People often ask me what message I would like audiences to take away from "Lady Wrestler." One message is to persevere in the face of hardship. These phenomenal women overcame enormous odds to succeed at a time when it was was still relatively rare for women to be featured in professional sports.

Ethel Johnson says it best in the documentary:

"They can't stop you. You've got to be determined that you're going to do what you set out to do Don't let nobody stop you. If you want to do something, go do it. Don't let people tell you, you can't do this... woman or man or black or white or yellow or green."