At one point and time being the heavyweight champion of the world was a symbol of power and authority. Fighters like Joe Louis, Cassius Clay, Joe Frasier, and Mike Tyson were looked at as Gods. The champs post was equal, if not larger than the President of The United States. Jack Johnson was this countries first black heavyweight champion way back in 1908, a time period that was full of racial discrimination and prejudice. His accomplishment was as big during that period, as was the election of Barack Obama last November.
Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral" purposes in June of 1913, thus ending a dominate career as a fighter. The "Galveston Giant" was tried by an all white jury, and sentenced to serve one year and a day in prison. Although it may not seem like a long sentence today, during that time it would have surely ended his professional career and severely tarnished his legacy in boxing. Johnson fled the United States and lived in exile for nearly seven years in Europe, South America, and Mexico before returning to the states to serve a reduced prison sentence(10 months) for his crimes.
Congress approved a resolution Wednesday urging a presidential pardon for Jack Johnson. The House passed the resolution by voice vote, about a month after the Senate approved it. Senator John McCain has been working on a pardon for months in an attempt to clear the name of the former heavyweight champ. McCain isn't the first person to fight for Johnson, but this is the first time that the attempt has made it this far up the legal tree.
"I'm pleased the House has joined the Senate in passing a resolution to express the sense of Congress that Jack Johnson, the best heavyweight fighter of his era, should receive a posthumous pardon for being convicted of violating the Mann Act in 1913," said McCain.
The resolution states that Johnson should receive a posthumus pardon, "for the racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and historic significance of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation." The pardon would help to "expunge a racially motivated abuse of the prosecutorial authority of the federal government from the annals of criminal justice in the United States."
Prostitution is the oldest business in the world and one of the most profitable businesses in "Sin City", yet almost 100 years later a great boxing champion's name is tied to an industry that we celebrate in many instances today. His crime wasn't that he transported a women across state lines, but that he flaunted his relationship with white women so freely.
Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral" purposes in June of 1913, thus ending a dominate career as a fighter. The "Galveston Giant" was tried by an all white jury, and sentenced to serve one year and a day in prison. Although it may not seem like a long sentence today, during that time it would have surely ended his professional career and severely tarnished his legacy in boxing. Johnson fled the United States and lived in exile for nearly seven years in Europe, South America, and Mexico before returning to the states to serve a reduced prison sentence(10 months) for his crimes.
Congress approved a resolution Wednesday urging a presidential pardon for Jack Johnson. The House passed the resolution by voice vote, about a month after the Senate approved it. Senator John McCain has been working on a pardon for months in an attempt to clear the name of the former heavyweight champ. McCain isn't the first person to fight for Johnson, but this is the first time that the attempt has made it this far up the legal tree.
"I'm pleased the House has joined the Senate in passing a resolution to express the sense of Congress that Jack Johnson, the best heavyweight fighter of his era, should receive a posthumous pardon for being convicted of violating the Mann Act in 1913," said McCain.
The resolution states that Johnson should receive a posthumus pardon, "for the racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and historic significance of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation." The pardon would help to "expunge a racially motivated abuse of the prosecutorial authority of the federal government from the annals of criminal justice in the United States."
Prostitution is the oldest business in the world and one of the most profitable businesses in "Sin City", yet almost 100 years later a great boxing champion's name is tied to an industry that we celebrate in many instances today. His crime wasn't that he transported a women across state lines, but that he flaunted his relationship with white women so freely.
I hope that the efforts of Senator McCain and others will result in Jack Johnson's name and legacy being restored. If we are a country that is truly embarking on a period of change, then righting this wrong is a step in the right direction.
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