Former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson died in 1946 and he hasn’t rested yet. People are still fighting over and about the controversial heavyweight today.
Congress decided to grant Johnson a rare a posthumous pardon in July for interracial dating and violating the Mann Act. This was spearheaded by Senator John McCain of Arizona, and only an expected President Obama signature remains to make it official. So that’s the good news.
In Johnson’s hometown of Galveston, Texas, the city is torn over how to honor the first Afro-American heavyweight champion.
One councilman wants to name a small park after Johnson that would include a statue on land donated within a housing project.
Others want a statue built on 41st Street, also already known as Jack Johnson Blvd.
But we have to dig a little deeper.
Apparently the land is controversial because it belonged to slave owners. The other site, well you can only see the statue at 30 MPH.
Galveston is a vacation jewel in Texas. It has hosted some fights over the years. It’s a great town, but not necessarily a fight town. This local battle may drag on for some years until one side is just exhausted.
What happens in Galveston has nothing to do with the national pardon. But the timing is sure a coincidence.
Hopefully if President Obama signs it, it would generate a quick compromise of sorts in Galveston.
I’m of the opinion that most of the real racist haters who knew of Johnson have died off from old age. I really believe many people want to see Johnson’s family gets their due respect. It has been 64 years since his death and its time to put this to bed.
Irving Rudd, the late great fight press agent for Bob Arum once told me many years ago, he met an older Johnson at an awards banquet for the first time. “You just looked at him, and you knew,” said Swerving Irving, “His eyes, his nose and hands gave it away. He was an all-time great champion.”
Life is a lot different now in America but there is still progress to be made in race relations. I doubt a fighter like Manny Pacquiao, even with the cultural clashes between The Philippines and America, will ever go through anything close to what Jack Johnson went through.
I hope not anyway.
