Jack Johnson was a black heavyweight boxing champ during the early part of the 20th century. He was bold, brash, & really cocky. Like they say, though, it aint bragging if you can back it up & Jack Johnson could certainly back it up. He got so good that white people wanted him stopped, including Jack London (Call of the Wild), who wanted a "great white hope" to beat Johnson.
Ex champion James Jeffries came out of retirement to fight Johnson. Johnson's dismantling of Jeffries led to celebrations in black communities & retribution from police & other whites, including beatings & lynchings.
Eventually, what brought down Jack Johnson was the government, who tried & convicted him for bringing a white woman over state lines for immoral purposes. The immorality, you ask? He was with white women. Johnson fled the company, but came back some years later & served a year in jail. He died 20 years later in a car accident. His story was the basis for the movie the Great White Hope, starring James Earl Jones.
I do hope that President Obama finally pardons Jack Johnson. It is justice long overdue for a man who paid the price for being too good.
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