Unforgivable Blackness

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He was the first black heavyweight champion in history, celebrated and reviled as the most prominent African American of his time. In "Unforgivable Blackness," Geoffrey C. Ward vividly portrays Jack Johnson, a figure more complex than the headlines suggest. Rising from obscurity, Johnson won the heavyweight title in 1908, a feat previously reserved for white boxers. Defying societal norms, he lived as if race did not exist, enjoying his wealth and fame while most African Americans struggled. At a time when a black man's mere association with a white woman could lead to violence, Johnson boldly pursued relationships and married three women. His defiance prompted the federal government to target him, resulting in a year of imprisonment and seven years of exile. To many whites, and some African Americans, he was viewed as a threat—arrogant, immoral, and a danger to societal order. This biography, the first comprehensive account of Johnson in over twenty years, includes more than fifty photographs and draws on new material, including his unpublished prison memoir, restoring Johnson to his rightful place among American individualists.