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January 17, 2012
Remembering the First African-American Heavyweight ChampPosted by danb Jack Johnson helped pave the way for MLK.
Yesterday, we celebrated the life of one of America’s true heroes. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t just a civil rights pioneer, he was a symbol of hope for Americans of all races. Men like MLK and Jackie Robinson are often remembered for their civil rights contributions. But there’s one man, who is always left out of the conversation. That man is Jack Johnson. In the early 20th century, few could rival Johnson’s fame. The man was a giant in every sense of the word and, like Muhammad Ali, had a knack for verbally taunting his opponents. When he defeated Tommy Burns for the heavyweight title, he helped pave the way for other legendary African-American athletes like Jackie Robinson and Fritz Pollard.
In 2005, filmmaker Ken Burns produced a 2-part documentary about Johnson's life, Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. The film touches on Johnson’s early life, boxing career, unjust imprisonment and even his patented wrench, which he invented while serving time in jail.
We urge you to check out the documentary. Jack Johnson was truly BORN STRONGER!
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