Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

The Jim Crow Era

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.

The Jim Crow Era

4m 1s

  • Part 2: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.