Did you know Jack Johnson, was the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion in 1908? And this was in the height of the Jim Crow era. The previously undefeated champion James Jeffries was forced out of retirement to defeat Johnson in what was dubbed “The Fight of the Century,” while Jeffries was nicknamed “The Great White Hope.” After Johnson won, many whites were outraged. So much so that they rioted in cities across the US and within 2 days killed 10 African-Americans for supposedly celebrating. White people felt that his victory undermined the ideology of white superiority. Johnson was considered to be the most hated man in America. To make matters worse, Johnson always had women in his entourage and they were always white and blonde. And in 1910 The White-Slave Traffic Act was passed as a federal law. It is described as an Act to further regulate interstate and foreign commerce by prohibiting the transportation therein for immoral purposes of women and girls, and for other purposes. In practice it’s ambiguous language about “immorality” resulted in it being used to criminalize consensual sex between adults. In 1913 Johnson was convicted of this act, due to traveling with his girlfriend and then wife Lucille Cameron, who refused to cooperate with the prosecution. He was the first to be convicted of the act. One could deduce this law was tailor made for Jack Johnson. Though it is never outright said. While incarcerated and working on cars he invented a wrench, he patented it in 1922. Once found out the famed boxer owned the patent for it, it was deemed it the Monkey Wrench. Sources in the general public adamantly deny this rumor and there are fuzzy reports that the name originated in Britain and its name is because the wrench’s jaws resembles a monkey’s face. Or that Charles Moncky invented the wrench in 1858 and that’s the source of the names addition. It is said that the movie King Kong was inspired by Jack Johnson’s propensity for white women, but once again, you guessed it. There is a concerted effort denying this saying all similarities are coincidence.
enemies too.