Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Speeding Tickets

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.

Speeding Tickets

3m 11s

More to Explore from Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

  • 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.