John Arthur "Jack" Johnson's legacy ceases to be a mere memory. Congressmen and sports fans alike are fighting to have the first Black heavyweight champion pardoned from an unjust indictment and imprisonment in 1913.
Filmmaker Ken Burns initiated the fight for Johnson's pardoning in July of 2004 and teamed up with civil rights leaders Senators John McCain and Orrin Hatch who aided in filing a petition for the case.
To date, the pardon has not been awarded and boxing fans are urging President Bush to excuse Johnson. Supporters of Johnson's pardon say that he was unjustly convicted under the Mann Act of 1910. The Mann Act made the interstate transport of women for immoral purposes illegal. Senator McCain said, "A gross and grave injustice was done to Jack Johnson where a law was perverted to send this decent American to jail."
Johnson, who was the first African-American heavyweight champion of the world and was inclined to have relationships with Caucasian women, and paradoxically his relationship with a young Caucasian woman named Lucille Cameron (he later married Cameron) sparked attention and provided law enforcement authorities with a reason to investigate the proud and resilient fighter.
Johnson's unblemished boxing record and immodest career incited the Caucasian community. Johnson was unbeatable in a time period where African-American success was viewed as ludicrous and scornful. The Caucasian community longed for a boxer who would have the strength to "knock" Johnson in his place; retired heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries was commissioned to restore the title back to the Caucasian community.
Jeffries became known as "The Great White Hope."
The Johnson-Jeffries fight was billed as "the fight of the century" and took place in Reno, Nev. The match became publicized as a battle of racial supremacy and on July 4, 1910 the fight commenced. Johnson dominated the 15 round match and knocked Jeffries out-an accomplishment no other fighter had ever made. The outcome of the match was a catalyst for racial tensions exploding across the country. Caucasians attacked African-Americans who openly spoke or displayed prideful behavior regarding Johnson's victory. Dr. Michael Frazier, assistant professor of Political Science commented, "Johnson was a symbol of Black Defiance. Johnson fought during a time when gross levels of disrespect for Blacks was the standard, but Johnson was able to challenge those standards without being put in jail."
The widespread hostilities and conflicts across the country is what reportedly sparked a federal investigation of Johnson's personal relationships. Authorities originally charged Johnson with abduction charges (Johnson allegedly crossed state lines with Cameron against the protest of her mother), however Johnson was later convicted of violation of the Mann Act. Johnson allegedly provided funds for Belle Schreiber (another Caucasian woman Johnson had a personal relationship with) to cross state lines and to open a house of prostitution in Chicago.
Several motions to appeal, discredit evidence and question the motives of the investigation against Johnson were filed. Regardless of such efforts Johnson served 10 months in prison. Ken Burns, John McCain and Orrin Hatch, as well as Johnson supporters feel that Johnson's pardon, though Johnson is deceased and will not profit nor benefit from it, is still relevant. Senior English major Harmonie Clarke said, "I think the pardon is important, but due to the fact that Jack Johnson is deceased, I am not sure his pardoning will have a powerful impact on the current position of African-Americans in today's society. I think the pardon would have been more influential if it was done when Johnson was alive."
Dr. Frazier shares Clarke's belief of Johnson's pardon being important, but believes that the pardon is appropriate for society today. Frazier said, "The conviction of Johnson had more to do with race than breaking the law. Johnson's pardon would be a symbolic gesture that the government recognizes the injustices that historical law enforcement and government officials made in the past."
The PBS station WETA is airing a Ken Burn's documentary entitled "The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson" tonight at 9 p.m.
