The fight that shook America
4/28/202615 min
Jack Johnson was the first world Black heavyweight champion, but winning the title was only part of the battle. Every time Johnson stepped into a boxing ring, he struck a blow to white supremacy. In this week’s episode, the story of Jack Johnson and the legacy of Black athletes pushing for social change in America.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Rund Abdelfatah· Host0:19
[music] This is America in Pursuit, a limited run series from Throughline and NPR. I'm Rund Abdelfatah. Each week, we bring you stories about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the US that began 250 years ago. You could probably sum up the entire history of the United States with the idea of people pushing to make a change. Where that change happens is a whole other story. Sometimes it's on the battlefield, in the courthouse, or in the city streets. Other times, it's in a stadium, on a field, or in the ring.
Speaker 2· Soundbite0:59
[crowd noise] It's December 26th, 1908, and world's heavyweight champion Tommy Burns defends his title in Sydney, Australia against Jack Johnson.
Rund Abdelfatah· Host1:11
Jack Johnson is determined to become the first Black heavyweight champion.
Speaker 2· Soundbite1:17
Johnson has been after this heavyweight title fight for over two years.
Rund Abdelfatah· Host1:21
As Jack Johnson enters the ring, he's already making history. Up until this fight, it was a known although unspoken rule...
Harry Edwards· Guest1:28
That no Black