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Based on what I've heard about Unforgivable Blackness from Ken Burns and others, it appears that Jack Johnson will be portrayed as an arrogant yet ultimately noble man. I have some issues with this.
There is no doubt that Johnson was oppressed because of his race, and was betrayed by his government and indicted on phony charges because the general public did not want a black heavyweight champion, especially one that was so arrogant. This, however, does not make him a good person. Jack Johnson was notorious for horrendously beating his girlfriends. I don't maen he lost his temper once and did something he later regretted...I mean he brutally beat these girls over and over and never learned his lesson. This is not something that should be celebrated.
Interestingly enough, the only reason the feds could nail Johnon on the Mann act was because one of his old girlfriends that he beat around was so ticked off that she said whatever the government wanted to hear.
He wasn't even an advocate for African-American rights. Johnson had no interest in advancing the interests of African-Americans...he was only interested in himself. He refused to fight any other black challengers after he won the title because he knew that a white audience would not pay to see to black men fight for the title. In his later years he was always openly critical of other black boxing superstars, most notably Joe Louis. He always predicted that Louis would lose his fights and always made a point of criticizing his skills.
Was Johnson a great fighter? Yes. Was he railroaded by his own government? Absolutely. But was he a man worth honouring? No way, at least not as much as Burns appears to be doing.
There is no doubt that Johnson was oppressed because of his race, and was betrayed by his government and indicted on phony charges because the general public did not want a black heavyweight champion, especially one that was so arrogant. This, however, does not make him a good person. Jack Johnson was notorious for horrendously beating his girlfriends. I don't maen he lost his temper once and did something he later regretted...I mean he brutally beat these girls over and over and never learned his lesson. This is not something that should be celebrated.
Interestingly enough, the only reason the feds could nail Johnon on the Mann act was because one of his old girlfriends that he beat around was so ticked off that she said whatever the government wanted to hear.
He wasn't even an advocate for African-American rights. Johnson had no interest in advancing the interests of African-Americans...he was only interested in himself. He refused to fight any other black challengers after he won the title because he knew that a white audience would not pay to see to black men fight for the title. In his later years he was always openly critical of other black boxing superstars, most notably Joe Louis. He always predicted that Louis would lose his fights and always made a point of criticizing his skills.
Was Johnson a great fighter? Yes. Was he railroaded by his own government? Absolutely. But was he a man worth honouring? No way, at least not as much as Burns appears to be doing.
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