Part 1 -
unforgivable blackness: the rise and fall of jack johnson

This film by Ken Burns chronicles the life and career of boxer Jack Johnson, the first African American heavyweight champion and one of the greatest fighters of the 20th century. Johnson ultimately lost his title in a bout in Cuba in 1915, after fleeing the United States following his federal conviction for allegedly violating the Mann Act, a progressive-era law intended to crackdown on commercialized vice but used against Johnson to create an example against, to quote the prosecutor, "the evils of miscegenation."

Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 101

About Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson:

"Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson," directed by Ken Burns, tells the story of the first African- American boxer to win the most coveted title in all of sports Heavyweight Champion of the World -- and his struggle, in and out of the ring, to live life as a free man.

Visit the Unforgivable Blackness: T... web site

---

Watch Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson - Clips, Episodes & Previews

---

---

NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

---

NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS Passport - Learn More