Jack Johnson, the first BLACK heavyweight champion of the world is long overdue a pardon. He was wrongfully convicted by an all-white jury on June 1913, under the Mann Act, although the incidents used to convict him took place prior to the passage of the Mann Act. He was sentenced to one year and a day for a consensual relationship he had with a Caucasian woman from 1909-1910. The Mann Act was a law passed on June 25th, 1910, named after Congressman James Robert Mann. In it’s original form the law prohibited white slavery and the interstate transport of females for immoral purposes, which was to address prostitution. However, it’s ambiguous language of “immorality” allowed selective prosecutions, which was the unfortunate case of Mr. Johnson.
This unjust prosecution ultimately tarnished Jack Johnson’s legacy. Senator Harry Reid and Senator John McCain have taken up this issue and are working towards a pardon. Let’s show President Obama and the White House that we too care about Jack Johnson’s legacy by signing this petition. In doing so, we are also righting the legacy of our great country.
