The Ultimate Fight

A rare thing is (hopefully) about to happen in the White House. Sen. John McCain and Rep. Peter King are pushing for a posthumous pardon for the world’s first black heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson. The Senate passed a resolution on June 24 and the House followed a month after with a unanimous vote on July 29.

Johnson was convicted in 1913 and went on to serve ten months in prison for having a relationship with a white woman. Ridiculous, right? Well, it was no laughing matter in the early 1900’s, even for a sports-superstar such as Johnson was.

Johnson earned the heavyweight title in December of 1908 by beating the Canadian World Champion. As he went on to continue his dominance, the American public was in overall disgust that the title belonged to an African-American. Finally, in 1910, the whites brought a star of their own out of retirement to face Johnson.

Called “The Battle of the Century,” the “Great White Hope” Jim Jeffries took on Johnson on July 4th. Johnson came out victorious, which should have proved an independence day for the persecuted blacks in America who still couldn’t find equal rights, years after President Lincoln granted them freedom. But, it was not so.

Since Johnson couldn’t be beaten in the ring, the U.S. government charged him in accordance of the Mann Act in 1912. The Mann Act, passed in 1910, was to:

“further regulate interstate commerce and foreign commerce by prohibiting the transportation therein for immoral purposes of women and girls, and for other purposes.”

In the words of the Justice Department, it was a “crime against nature” for a black man to have sexual relations with a white woman. (I’ll get into the hypocrisy of this statement later).

After the decision from an all-white jury, Johnson fled the U.S. in 1913 while free on appeal and travelled the world as a fugitive before turning himself in to the U.S. government in 1920; he then served his 10-month sentence.

Johnson was known for being in relationships with white women. His first marriage was to a black woman, but five other women he was known to have relationships with, including three marriages, were all to white, most of them prostitutes. Johnson clearly had some magnetism. In a few instances, he was seeing more than one woman at once, and the women knew about it and accepted it. His last wife said of him, “I loved him because of his courage. He faced the world unafraid. There wasn’t anybody or anything he feared.”

It may seem completely ludicrous today to think of prosecuting a black man for being in a relationship with a white woman. And it should have been just as crazy back in 1912. How could the U.S. Government be so hypocritical to persecute a man for something one of their great founding fathers did? It is widely known that Thomas Jefferson had a relationship and many children with a slave of his whom was partially black.

Just put this rule into effect in today’s time to see its absurdness; there are many athletic stars with one black and one white parent. If laws were still around today stopping biracial relationships, Jason Kidd would not being tearing up the hardwood; Derek Jeter wouldn’t be leading his team to his 5th World Series title; and the world’s most known athlete, Tiger Woods, would not only not exist, but he would not have the beautiful family he has now.

So, Obama, it is in your hands. As America’s first black president, it is now up to you to liberate the wrong against one of the greatest athletes known in his sport. Jack Johnson paved the way for some of today’s superstars and stood up to injustice when he knew it was wrong. He gave hope for his fellow man, just as you have. He was persecuted for a crime that should have never even garnered legal status.

Please, fix the wrong that your predecessors did against him; give him pardon.

For more information, visit these Sites I used as references:
PBS
CNN
ESPN