Jack Johnson was larger than life. He became the first African-American fighter to be crowned heavyweight champion of the world. But he lived in a different time and was convicted in 1913 of taking a (white) woman, later his wife, across state lines for “immoral” purposes. Johnson was sentenced to a year in jail. His boxing career was finished. Jack Johnson died in 1946. Actor Sylvester Stallone recommended Donald Trump grant a posthumous pardon to Johnson which was granted today. See the Sports Illustrated video above, and a clip from a Ken Burns film on Johnson below.
Jack Johnson pardon reminds us of a racist past and how even today racist remarks and coded words are used to imperil African Americans and to advance an Un-American agenda. Video from film: https://t.co/9ZlDBXz76J pic.twitter.com/zk3ZC6R7pQ
— Ken Burns (@KenBurns) May 24, 2018