#stopmotionpainting | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

designnurd · 2 years

Photo

On December 26th, 1908, at the height of the Jim Crow era, Jack Johnson became the first African American Heavyweight Champion, spawning race riots across the country. Johnson’s very existence challenged white supremacy and was everything that a black man of his era was not supposed to be: outspoken, articulate, intelligent, powerful, wealthy, good-looking and charming. “I was brunette in a blonde town, but gentlemen I did not stop stepping.“ – Jack Johnson Born in Galveston, Texas, the son of two former slaves, today, March 31st would have been his 144th birthday. Seemingly confident of his superiority over Johnson, Burns declared: “I will beat Johnson, or my name isn’t Tommy Burns.” Whether he was being ironic at the time will never be known; “Tommy Burns” had in fact been born “Noah Brusso.” In the opening round Burns was floored. Soon he was reduced to hurling racial insults, verbal jabs being the only ones he could land. With 20,000 fans in attendance, the match lasted 14 rounds before the police intervened and Johnson was declared the winner. As could be expected in 1908, white fans weren’t happy about a Black man being heavyweight champion and sought a “Great White Hope” to defeat Johnson. One of the challengers was former champ James J. Jeffries, who refused to give Johnson a title shot when he held the belt. Jeffries was coaxed out of retirement by a large payday ($120,000; $3.3 million in today’s dollars) to fight Johnson in 1910, but lost what was then billed as “The Fight of the Century” in 15 rounds when his corner threw in the towel. 💥🥊💪🏾 #JackJohnson #JackJohnsonBoxer #Boxing #Pugilism #GavlestonTexas #GavlestonGiant #Goat #HeavyweightChampionOfTheWorld #100 #hundreddollarbill #boxingHistory #FightOfTheCentury #Mahershalaali #Unruly #UnforgivableBlackness #GreatWhiteHope #benfranklin #benjaminfranklin #milesdavis #willienelson #ivegotfiveonit #stopmotionpainting https://www.instagram.com/p/CbyXGkspJAg/?utm_medium=tumblr

#jackjohnson #jackjohnsonboxer #boxing #pugilism #gavlestontexas #gavlestongiant #goat #heavyweightchampionoftheworld #100 #hundreddollarbill #boxinghistory #fightofthecentury #mahershalaali #unruly #unforgivableblackness #greatwhitehope #benfranklin #benjaminfranklin #milesdavis #willienelson #ivegotfiveonit #stopmotionpainting

0 notes