Letter to The Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States - Requesting a Posthumous Pardon for Boxing Great, Jack Johnson

Letter

Dear President Obama,

We write once again to bring your attention to the ongoing injustice of John Arthur "Jack" Johnson's racially-motivated conviction, now over a hundred years old. As you know, Jack Johnson, a boxing legend and the first African-American Heavyweight Boxing Champion, had his character and achievements marred when he was unjustly convicted under the Mann Act in 1913 for transporting his white girlfriend across state lines.

Congress, taking notice of this improper and unfair conviction, has passed multiple resolutions over the years calling for the posthumous pardon of Jack Johnson. Most recently, the Every Student Succeeds Act, which you signed into law on December 10, 2015, included a provision expressing the sense of Congress that this boxing great should receive a posthumous pardon. And, just last week, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights unanimously voted to request that you "right this century-old wrong" and pardon Jack Johnson.

This month marks the 70th anniversary of Jack Johnson's death. While it is unfortunate that this unjust conviction was not corrected during the boxer's lifetime, a posthumous pardon today represents the opportunity to reaffirm Jack Johnson's substantial contributions to our society and right this historical wrong. We urge you to grant this posthumous pardon.