Article

This is an original article as printed in the Guardian Weekly which is suitable for advanced comprehension classes written by Ed Pilkington in New York.

America may pardon first black boxing great

Almost 100 years before Barack Obama became the first black president of the US, Jack Johnson struck another blow, literally, fro African-American equality. On 26 December 1908 he became the heavyweight boxing champion of the world - a title previously reserved for white men.

Now Obama is being asked to issue a posthumous pardon for Johnson, who was floored not by a punch but by the force of racially prejudiced justice. A resolution was introduced to Congress last month calling for a presidential pardon for Johnson's conviction in 1913 on trumped up racial grounds.

While Obama's victory in November 2008 has been feted around the globe, Johnson's historic win in 1908 against the Canadian world champion Tommy Burns garnered a rather different reaction. Boxing promoters immediately launched a search for the "Great White Hope" - a white fighter who could regain the title for the "superior" race.

The search failed. Johnson, the son of freed slaves from Texas, would not be brought down. One after another, he obliterated a succession of white challengers.

What could not be achieved within the boxing ring was, however, achieved in the courthouse. In 1913 Johnson was convicted on charges that he had violated the Mann Act - a law related to people trafficking.

Johnson had not only violated the supremacy of white boxers, he had also broken the great sexual taboo of those days: miscegenation. By the time of the trial he had been married to two white women. The judge, sentencing him to a year in prison, said he was "sending a message" to black men about relationships with white women.

John McCain, last year's losing Republican presidential candidate and a keen boxer from his Navy days, co-sponsored the pardon resolution. "We need to erase this act of racism which sent an American citizen to prison on a trumped up charge," he said.

Since his death in a car crash in 1946, Johnson's legacy has lived on. Mohammed Ali claimed him as a great inspiration and musician Miles Davis composed a tribute to him.

Though presidential pardons are rarely granted, the onus now falls on Obama to right a wrong committed a century ago against a man dubbed "the greatest boxer of all time".

Glossary

posthumous

(adjective) happening after a person has died

promoter

(noun) a person or company that organises a sporting event

violate a law

(verb) to break or disobey a law, rule, act etc

be dubbed something

(verb) be given a particular name or nickname

taboo

(noun) a custom that does not allow people to do or say something

miscegenation

(noun) interbreeding of people of different races

Questions

The questions below are divided into three groups - before, during and after reading the above article.

Before reading

The article is about Jack Johnson who was one of America's "boxing greats". This expression means that he was

1. big heavyweight fighter.
2. poweful boxing referee.
3. famous and successful boxer.

Do you know of any boxing greats in the history of your country?

Look at the headline, photo and caption of the article. Discuss the questions with a partner.

1. Why was Johnson a famous fighter? Why are people talking about him now?
2. Why do you think Johnson had problems as a boxer in the US in 1910.
3. What role do you think these peopls might play in the newspaper story? Boxer Jack Johnson; a white judge from 1913; some boxing promoters; Barack Obama; Mohammed Ali; musician Miles Davis.

Verb and noun collocations from the article. Look back at the people in exercise 2c above. Whhich person might do or have done the following things? There may be more than one person for each phrase.

1. issue a pardon
2. compose a tribute
3. floor an opponent
4. sentence a man to prison
5. launch a search for a new fighter
6. claim Johnson as an inspiration

While reading

Read the article. Finish the sentences below.

1. Before Johnson, only white boxers ...
2. Johnson was a victim of ...
3. Some US politicians now want Obana ...
4. After Johnson beat Burns, boxing promoters ...
5. But no white fighters could ...
6. In 1913, Johnson was sentenced to ...
7. The judge was against Johnson because ...
8. Although Johnson died in 1946 ...

Read the article again. Number these events in the correct time order.

1. Johnson died in a car accident.
2. A resolution was introduced to call for Johnson's pardon.
3. Johnson became world heavywight champion.
4. Johnson was sent to prison.
5. Obama was elected president and may pardon Johnson.
6. Johnson beat all the white challengers to his title.
7. Mohammed Ali claimed Johnson as an inspiration.

After reading

Deducing words from the context. What do these words and phrases from the article mean?

1. Johnson struck another blow (two meanings), literally, for equality. (para 1)
2. Obama's victory has been feted around the globe. (para 3)
3. Johnson's historic win Garnered a different reaction. (para 3)
4. This act of racism sent a citizen to prison on a trumped up charge. (para 7)
5. The onus now falls on Obama ... (para 9)

The passive. Complete the summary below with the passive of the verbs in brackets.

Discussion. Discuss the questions below with a partner with reference to the article.

1. Is it a good idea to try to right the wrongs of the past by pardoning people?
2. Can pardoning a person from the past change things now?
3. Should we leave history alone and not try to tidy it up?

Activity - Write a biography

Watch a short documentary about Jack Johnson obtained from the internet. Make notes. What information do you learn about his life that isn't in the article? Plan and write a brief biography of Johnson with all the key events of his life.