Jack Johnson with his wife - approximately 1911
Jack Johnson, Chicago, 1910
Harlem Globetrotters, 1930
"I was a ring scientist, in a day of ring laborers."
Jack Johnson
This may be my final blog posting before I begin assembling The Defending Tribune Project - due early next week in Databases, Archives and the Virtual Experience of Art with Prof. Vid Ingelevics.
Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson was a very prominent cultural figure in the early 20th century, particularly in Chicago, where his 1910 victory over Jim Jeffries made him a star within the African-American community. Johnson was a lightning rod for controversy everywhere he went. Whether it was his racial taunting of White opponents, his relationships with White women, his reckless driving, or his fervent spending, Johnson made waves no matter what.
Strictly in terms of athletic performance, Jack Johnson in many ways helped develop the ingenuity that has become synonymous with African-American athletic performance over the course of the past 100 years. In a racist world where - morally and financially corrupt - White officials frequently snatched would-be winning performances from the hands of worthy Black contenders, Johnson developed a battery of counter-punching strategies as a means for overcoming racial bias in the ring; because "if he kept order in the ring he was lazy" and "if he damaged his opponents he was a brute" (Chicago's New Negroes, D. Baldwin).
By 1930, Johnson's crafty athletic strategies were being employed by the likes of The Harlem Globetrotters, who were actually from Chicago. The Globetrotters transformed modern basketball into artistry by speeding up passing, racing up and down the floor, and running up scores so a late foul call by racist officials couldn't jeapordize a victorious outcome. Many of these strategies echo the early efforts of Jack Johnson, who looked for and succeeded in finding ways to overcome a racialized playing field. And many of these developments took place in early 20th century Chicago, the apex of the Great Migration, which is why Chicago is going to play such a key role in the next step of my thesis work.
Look for Platinum Palladium prints of Jack Johnson, The Globetrotters, and the Chicago American Giants Negro League baseball team in the near future.
Defender Telegraph, page 1, No. 001
I would like to tell you a story about my champion. His all time hero was Mr. Jack Johnson. He followed in the footsteps, he did some great boxing in Augusta, Ga. He had the smile down, he had the strut, and he lived a wild life for awhile. Then he was accused of a murder he did not commit. An all white jury sent him to prison for life with parole. He continued to smile and then married a white woman in prison...myself. That was too much for them so they devised ways to break him down, and break her down as well. He has been tortured until I thought he was dead. He has been confined for 32 years but still maintains his innocence. Now he's quiet and keeps his smile inside. Every form of abuse has been caste upon the "Uppity N". But he is strong and never gives up. Neither do I. He's my hero.
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