Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Part 2

1h 42m

As Part Two begins, Jack Johnson was on top of the world, the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World; the most famous — and the most notorious — African-American on earth. But forces were gathering in America to try to stop him. When no one could be found to beat the champion in the ring, the U.S. government set out to destroy him in the courts

Episodes

Part 2

S1 E2 - 1h 42m

As Part Two begins, Jack Johnson was on top of the world, the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World; the most famous — and the most notorious — African-American on earth. But forces were gathering in America to try to stop him. When no one could be found to beat the champion in the ring, the U.S. government set out to destroy him in the courts
Part 1

S1 E1 - 1h 51m

Follow Jack Johnson's remarkable journey from his humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas, as the son of former slaves, to his entry into the brutal world of professional boxing.

Extras + Features

The Jim Crow Era

S1 - 4m 1s

Jack Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion in the height of the Jim Crow era — a time in which slavery was abolished, but African Americans were not yet truly free.
Speeding Tickets

S1 - 3m 11s

Jack Johnson was given speeding tickets scores of times over the years, sometimes because he really was driving too fast — and sometimes simply because white policemen couldn’t stand to see a black man behind the wheel of a costly racing car. He also later joined a vaudeville troupe, where he made good money under tough working conditions.

Schedule

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