King Brings Justice to Boxing Legend Jack Johnson
Bill Passes Urging a Pardon for the First Black Heavyweight Champion
July 29, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carol Danko, 202-225-7896
Washington, D.C. – Today, legislation introduced by Rep. Pete King (R-NY) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) calling for a pardon for the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion, John Arthur “Jack” Johnson, passed the House unanimously. The resolution (S.Con.Res.29) calls for a posthumous pardon for the boxing legend, who was wronged with a racially-motivated conviction in 1913 under the Mann Act that prohibited taking women across state lines for “immoral purposes.” The resolution passed the Senate on June 25, 2009 before being sent to the House.
“I am thrilled that – after five years of struggle – my resolution to pardon Jack Johnson has passed both the House and the Senate in the same year, bringing us closer than ever to setting the record straight,” said Rep. Peter King. “Jack Johnson is a trailblazer and a legend, whose boxing career was cut short due to unjust laws and racial persecution. I urge the President to do the right thing and take the final step and grant his pardon.”
Jack Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas on March 31, 1878. In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African American World Heavyweight Boxing Champion after defeating Tommy Burns in Australia – a title Johnson held until 1915. Prompted by his success in the boxing ring and his relationship with a Caucasian woman, Jack Johnson was wrongly convicted under the Mann Act when he brought the woman he was dating across state lines.
The intent of the Mann Act was to prevent human trafficking of women for the purpose of prostitution. However, racially motivated convictions imprisoned Jack Johnson for a year in 1913. The convictions ruined his career and destroyed his reputation.
“Jack Johnson is a legendary boxer, who became a victim of the times with a wrongly-placed, racially-motivated conviction,” said Congressman Pete King. “Despite the accusations, he became a heavyweight legend who inspired and paved the way for future African American athletes. It has now been over 100 years since Jack Johnson won the heavyweight title, and it’s time we restore his reputation with a pardon that is long over-due.”
McCain and King are both life-long boxing fans, and King trains at a boxing gym on Long Island where he spars at least once a week [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0zDPMq2GHA] . Both have been introducing legislation to pardon Jack Johnson since 2004; however, this is the first time the bill has passed both the House and the Senate in the same Congress.
Contact: Carol Danko, 202-225-7896
Washington, D.C. – Today, legislation introduced by Rep. Pete King (R-NY) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) calling for a pardon for the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion, John Arthur “Jack” Johnson, passed the House unanimously. The resolution (S.Con.Res.29) calls for a posthumous pardon for the boxing legend, who was wronged with a racially-motivated conviction in 1913 under the Mann Act that prohibited taking women across state lines for “immoral purposes.” The resolution passed the Senate on June 25, 2009 before being sent to the House.
“I am thrilled that – after five years of struggle – my resolution to pardon Jack Johnson has passed both the House and the Senate in the same year, bringing us closer than ever to setting the record straight,” said Rep. Peter King. “Jack Johnson is a trailblazer and a legend, whose boxing career was cut short due to unjust laws and racial persecution. I urge the President to do the right thing and take the final step and grant his pardon.”
Jack Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas on March 31, 1878. In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African American World Heavyweight Boxing Champion after defeating Tommy Burns in Australia – a title Johnson held until 1915. Prompted by his success in the boxing ring and his relationship with a Caucasian woman, Jack Johnson was wrongly convicted under the Mann Act when he brought the woman he was dating across state lines.
The intent of the Mann Act was to prevent human trafficking of women for the purpose of prostitution. However, racially motivated convictions imprisoned Jack Johnson for a year in 1913. The convictions ruined his career and destroyed his reputation.
“Jack Johnson is a legendary boxer, who became a victim of the times with a wrongly-placed, racially-motivated conviction,” said Congressman Pete King. “Despite the accusations, he became a heavyweight legend who inspired and paved the way for future African American athletes. It has now been over 100 years since Jack Johnson won the heavyweight title, and it’s time we restore his reputation with a pardon that is long over-due.”
McCain and King are both life-long boxing fans, and King trains at a boxing gym on Long Island where he spars at least once a week [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0zDPMq2GHA] . Both have been introducing legislation to pardon Jack Johnson since 2004; however, this is the first time the bill has passed both the House and the Senate in the same Congress.
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