President Trump issued the third-ever posthumous pardon on Thursday, and one that holds high significance in the African-American community.
Trump pardoned Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion, for violating the Jim Crow-era Mann Act which made it a federal crime to transport a woman across state lines “for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.” After being arrested for this in 1912, Johnson lived in exile for seven years and spent a year in prison when he finally returned to the U.S. in 1920.
Johnson’s “crime” was traveling in the car with his white girlfriend, and a racially-charged jury convicted him on this charge in 1913.
According to the New York Times, many (including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., actor Sylvester Stallone, and documentary producer Ken Burns) had been advocating for his pardon, arguing that his arrest and conviction were unjust. However, former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama did not deliver on the pardon. Instead, Obama pardoned Chelsea Manning during his final days in office.
For the African-American community, seeing Johnson pardoned is especially significant. A world heavyweight champion from 1908 to 1915, he was among the first star black athletes in the country and competed at a time when the U.S. was still racially segregated. That said, he was a cultural icon for black Americans in a time where they did not have many. Even so, he had to live in fear away from his home for several years before he had a year of his life taken away from him by the court system. When he returned to public life, he was denied boxing licenses in several states, making it harder for him to find work, according to USA Today.
The pardoning of Johnson is an admission of the mistreatment of blacks in the pre-civil rights era. Racism had a severely negative impact on the way Johnson was treated by the courts. While there is unfortunately nothing the government can do to make things right, since Johnson died 72 years ago, the government is at least admitting the system got it wrong.
Although the greatest significance of the action is only symbolic, it also shows President Trump’s willingness to deliver on his promises and make moves other presidents refused to — like moving the country’s Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. If the cries of bigotry against the president were accurate, are these really moves he would have made? Remember, this is the president who wants to hold a race summit to speak with leaders of the black community, and he is ready to move forward on criminal justice reform.
Johnson’s pardon is long overdue and is now a reality thanks to his high-profile supporters. With the pardon, Johnson now has a clean record and can be fully appreciated as the hero he was for his community.
Race relations in the country are far from perfect, but the U.S. is at least working to repair them. This Johnson pardon might not be a massive move in this department, but at least it’s progress.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelancer writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
