Significance of The "Negros Enter Here" Sign

The "Negros Enter Here" sign is a symbol of racism and discrimination. Ozzie tells Tatum that he will not be welcome in the Sawdust, a restaurant that has a reputation of being frequented only by White people. He mentions the sign as a way to stress to Tatum that the restaurant has a reputation of discriminating against blacks. Even though Tatum argues those times are in the past, Ozzie notices all of the people eating at the restaurant are White. He also notices that there are pictures on the walls celebrating White men who have played on professional sports teams. There are no pictures of Ozzie or any of the other Black athletes who were hired to play professionally.