Before 1967, the American Southeastern Conference boasted a roster composed entirely of white athletes. In the fall of 1967, however, Nate Northington walked on to the University of Kentucky football field and broke the color line. Just a day before, Northington’s roommate and fellow civil rights pioneer Greg Page had died as the result of a tragic accident. In the wake of his death, Northington fulfilled one of Page’s ambitions: to play football alongside white athletes for his university. Documenting this groundbreaking event in sports, Black in Blue gives voice to the role of sports in integration.
The 2018 Virginia Film Festival runs November 1-4, 2018.