Jack Johnson, athlete
March 31, 1878-June 10, 1949Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Shane W. Evans (Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press, 2010)
It was the “Battle of the Century”, July 4, 1910, and Jack Johnson made history. He was the first black heavyweight champion of the world. But he wasn’t always brave and he had to learn how to fight. This is his story.
Unforgivable Blackness, a film by Ken Burns, featured Johnson. Read about it on PBS.org.
