Commentary: Like His White Counterparts, Jack Johnson Drew Color Lines
Date: Tuesday, January 11, 2005
By: Gregory Kane, BlackAmericaWeb.com
My relationship with the man known as “Papa Jack” goes back a ways, to the early 1960s.
The civil rights movement was at its apex. Segregation was still the law in some parts of the country. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were not yet passed. There still existed across the land many whites who clung to the notion of white racial superiority.
It was in this environment that I would spend my time reading at all-black Harlem Park Junior High School in the heart of West Baltimore. It was through books that I became familiar with the men who would become my first black heroes: Toussaint Louverture of Haiti, who led a slave revolt and defeated generals from three different European countries, and Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion of the world.
Over the years I’ve often wondered why, if white folks were really serious about clinging to the idea that they were racially superior, would they allow books about black men like Louverture and Johnson to fall into the hands of impressionable black boys.
Something else happened over the years: my hero worship of Johnson abated quite a bit.
In Johnson’s day, white champions drew the color line and refused to fight black contenders. Johnson had to chase heavyweight champion Tommy Burns around the world before cornering him in Australia on Dec. 26, 1908 and beating him like a kettle drum to wrest the title away from him. Then Papa Jack — along with “L’il Arthur,” one of Johnson’s other nicknames — drew the color line himself.
“Am I being too hard on Johnson for drawing the color line?” I recently asked filmmaker Ken Burns. “Do I have a valid point?”
“Yes, you do,” Burns responded.
Burns should know. His two-hour documentary about the life and times of Johnson premieres on PBS Monday night, and Burns says that with Papa Jack as his subject matter, he could have done a 10-hour documentary.
Entitled “Unforgiveable Blackness,” the Johnson documentary is Burns’ latest for PBS, following his ones about baseball, jazz and the Civil War. What prompted him to do Johnson’s story?
“I’ve been passionately curious about the question of race all of my professional life,” Burns said. “I think all of us must. We put Black History Month in February, the shortest month. But African-American history is at the center of American history. Jack Johnson’s story comes to that center. I feel compelled to do it.”
Compelled to do the biography, but not to give Johnson a free pass.
“This is not a puff piece,” Burns said as he continued to answer my question about Johnson not facing any black challengers once he had the title. “It’s a valid criticism, and a very interesting one. Johnson claimed he didn’t fight black challengers because there wasn’t any money in it. He hid behind that excuse. He knew the best fighters out there were other black fighters.”
Johnson also had his critics among blacks of his time — and some admirers. Burns’ documentary focuses on both.
“There’s this notion that all black people think alike,” Burns said. “I’ve always hated that.” Well, it’s a relief a white guy thinks that we all don’t — and shouldn’t — think alike. Now, if only we can get black folks to believe that.
The blacks of Johnson’s time certainly didn’t. Burns said that black newspapers had a “whole range of commentary” about Johnson. Some defended him. Others criticized him and some remained neutral.
“(Black) religious leaders distanced themselves,” Burns said. “You find Booker T. Washington simply exasperated by Johnson. W.E.B. DuBois was more understanding and more supportive.”
Burns said the title “Unforgivable Blackness” refers to DuBois’ comment that whites would have forgiven Johnson of all his sins — if he were white.
The federal government trumped up charges against Johnson for violating the Mann Act — which made it a crime to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes — which forced him to flee the country after he was convicted. Burns has been working with a bi-partisan group of U.S. senators to have President Bush issue a posthumous pardon for Johnson. So far Bush has not been so inclined to help Johnson, a fellow Texan.
“I have great patience,” Burns said of his efforts to get that pardon. “I’m going to keep fighting.”
Posted by: DFINEST
This seems to be a good one,
I can't wait to see it on King Day
Posted by: BoneCrusher
Bush doesn't like to get into legal considerations or resulted decisions. As gov here in Texas he left every death sentance appeal stand. That was back when I liked him ...