I would have absolutely no problem if President Obama granted this pardon on his way out the door. Jack Hohnson was done a treneddous wromn. But, what happned to him was a reflection of where the country was socially at the time.
This is who we were and the past cannot be changed to say otherwise. However, there are those that like to twist the truth of what really was to decieve the others for their own self agenda.
The Daily Mail reports that he was the world’s first black heavyweight champion 100 years before Barack Obama became America’s first black president.
Left: Johnson ans first wife Eita Duryea
But more than a century on, boxer Jack Johnson's family say there is still a ‘stigma’ hanging over him after his relationship with a white woman landed him in prison.
Lawmakers are pushing a posthumous presidential pardon campaign for the boxer, whose flamboyant lifestyle and romantic ties with white women flamed racial tension.
This boiled over when he defeated white boxer Jim Jeffries in the ‘Fight of the Century’ in 1910, who had said he wanted to ‘demonstrate that a white man is king of them all’.
Jeffries came out of retirement for the fight, after a search for a ‘Great White Hope’ to defeat him after he beat Canadian Tommy Burns in the 1908 world championship.
But after Johnson won the 1910 fight, there were deadly race riots as angry whites took out their frustrations on black people, especially those who celebrated his victory.
Three years on Johnson was convicted of breaking the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across states for ‘immoral purposes’.
Authorities targeted his relationship with wife Lucille Cameron, but after she refused to co-operate they got another white witness, Belle Schreiber, to testify against him.
Johnson fled the country after his conviction, but years later he agreed to return and served a 10-month jail sentence.
New York Representative Peter King and Arizona Senator John McCain now want to reintroduce a congressional resolution urging a pardon.
‘With last year's elections, there seems to be a clear intent by the president to try to be more bipartisan,’ Mr King said.
‘Everything is there to correct an historic wrong and also, in a small way but significant way, help to bring the country together now.
‘John McCain and I do feel seriously about it. We want to keep the issue alive, and it also may give more momentum to the boxing reform bill.’
More details here
I hope the predient does the right thing here. After all, can I agree with him on something at least?
I saw the film years ago. It’s worth the watch.
I would have absolutely no problem if President Obama granted this pardon on his way out the door. Jack Hohnson was done a treneddous wromn. But, what happned to him was a reflection of where the country was socially at the time.
Left: Johnson ans first wife Eita Duryea
