Should Boxing Legend Jack Johnson Get Presidential Pardon?
He was the first black heavyweight champion of the world. Born the son of former slaves in 1878, Jack Jackson endured all the hardships and obstacles relative to that era of American history and rose to be champion in 1908. White America hated him and to black America he was a hero. But it was his affinity for white women that ultimately led to his demise. Now, one hundred years after Johnson’s reign, there is a movement on Capitol Hill, endorsed by none other than Senator John McCain, for a posthumous presidential pardon for Jack Johnson. “We need to erase this act of racism which sent an American citizen to prison on a trumped-up charge,” McCain said, adding, “I have great confidence this president will be more than eager to sign this legislation and pardon Jack Johnson.” Due to segregation in America Johnson had to win the world title in Australia and then bring it back to the United States. For over a decade after the turn of the century Jack Johnson was the most notorious black ma
