Jack Johnson, who in 1908 became the first African-American to become the world heavyweight boxing champion, overcame racism, poverty and his own demons to slug his way to the top.
But efforts to clear his name of a bogus conviction for transporting a white woman across state lines for immoral purposes have always failed.
Tuesday was the 131st anniversary of Johnson’s birth in Galveston, Texas, and Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., plan to introduce resolutions today calling on President Barack Obama to pardon Johnson.
Johnson’s descendants will fly from Chicago to join McCain and King at a news conference.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” said Samuel L. Collins, a Texas adviser for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
