During the 1900’s racism against the African American race was at its peak. There were Jim Crow laws passed, that made sure African Americans could not be treated equal as any other race. Black people were always segregated from eating in different restaurants to not being able to play in regular baseball leagues. African Americans had to eat and drink in different place and also had to play baseball in their own colored leagues.
One sports figure in the African American Society that face racial discrimination was Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to break the color Barrier and play for the Major Baseball league. After being released from the military, Mr. Robinson went and played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro League. After playing with Monarchs, he fought his way through and played for the Dodgers in 1947. He later was awarded MVP.
Another the major figure that changed the lives of black people was Jack Johnson. Jackson born in Galveston, Texas, was arguably the best one of the best heavyweight boxers. He was known as the “Galveston Giant” and was later pronounced the first black Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1908. Mr. Jackson had a unique style of fighting. He developed a more patient approach, playing defensively, waiting for a mistake, and then capitalizing on it. Jack always began a fight cautiously, slowly became more aggressive over the rounds.
Jack Johnson fought to punish his opponents rather than knock them out. His style was very effective, but was called coward by the white people. Jim Corbett, who was also white heavy weight champion a decade before, had used basically the same technique. He on the other hand was praised by the white press and was named “The cleverest man in boxing.”
On December 26, 1908, Jack won the world heavyweight title. He fought a white man named Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. After Mr. Johnson defeated Burns in the final, racism against the African Americans increased. The white people’s hate ran so great that they wanted to take the title away from Johnson. After the champion Johnson was hated so much that he was drawn into a subhuman ape. The white people thought the title should be returned the “superior” white race.
In 1910, an undefeated heavyweight champion named James Jeffries came out and said “I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro.” The fight now wasn’t just being fought for the title but also for the superior of a race. The racial tension grew so much that white crowd started chanting “kill the n*gger.” In the end, Jack proved to be the dominant fighter. He had won the title again. The outcome of the fight triggered race riots all across USA.
After winning many fights and titles, Johnson became an example of the celebrity athlete. After his boxing career Johnson married Etta Terry Duryea. She was a white woman from Brooklyn that later committed suicide due to Johnson beating her. Johnson then remarried Lucille Cameron, a young prostitute. The women that Jack married were both white. This in fact caused a considerable amount of controversy. The hate for Johnson grew more. After Johnson married Cameron, two ministers in the South recommended that Johnson be lynched. After a successful career, Johnson still faced racism.
Author/Artist – Wikipedia
Page Title – Jackie Robinson
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Author/Artist -Wikipedia
Page Title – Jack Johnson
Site Title – Wikimedia Foundation Inc.
