Unforgivable Blackness -- Geoffrey C. Ward

In 1908, Jack Jackson beat Tommy Burns to win the heavyweight boxing title. In 1910, James J. Jeffries came out of retirement to take on Jack Jackson. The match went 15 rounds, and Jack Jackson won. James Jeffries came out of retirement to return the heavyweight title to White America. Before there was Muhammad Ali, there was Jack Jackson. An uncompromising black man in white America. Born to ex-slaves, Jack Johnson grew up wanting great things, and he wasn't going to let the notion of segregation get in his way. With his winnings he had a lavish lifestyle -- a fleet of luxury cars, stays in expensive hotels, expensive custom made suits -- all the riches his money could buy. He broke the taboo of inter-racial relationships -- his three wives were white. For his bucking the status quo, he got it from both sides. He was despised by whites, who didn't like the way he threw his wealth in their faces and mocked segregation with his actions -- and disliked by blacks who didn't like the attention he was bringing to them. Geoffrey C. Ward's Unforgivable Blackness chronicles the Rise and Fall of Jack Jackson. The book sounds like it's a great read. One that I may pick up if I see it at a certain used book store. The book is a companion to a PBS film of the same title -- for a video preview in RealVideo format, click! [4.5 minutes, 7.8MB]