Jack Johnson

You made it! I think. It’s okay if you didn’t. You can always go back and try again.

So you may need to adjust yourself a bit but you should be able to find the grave of 19th-Century boxer legend Jack Johnson immediately on your left; the first world heavyweight champion who was black.

Nicknamed the ‘Galveston Giant,’ Jack Arthur Johnson challenged stereotypes and shocked fans as one of the greatest boxers of all time. His distinct boxing style, which was not common at the time, was to play defensively and wear down his opponents. For Johnson, winning was about more than just a knockout. Johnson wanted to punish his opponents. When they were too weak to stand, Johnson would hold them up until they regained their strength, only to go after them again with his famous uppercut.

Johnson earned the world heavyweight championship title in 1908 and held the title for five years, which was not well taken by many in white society. Newspapers, like the New York Times, lampooned Johnson with racist cartoons. In what was dubbed ‘The Fight of the Century,’ Johnson was challenged by undefeated champion James J. Jefferies who came out of retirement to prove to the white enraged public of the time that white men were better than black ones.

No such proof was offered. The fight took place on July 4, 1910. Racial tensions were at an all-time high. It felt like the weight of three hundred years of slavery and oppression were all resting on the gloves of Jack Johnson. The larger Jefferies was visibly shaken by the strength and stamina of his younger opponent. Johnson knocked Jefferies down twice, something no one before had accomplished. The match ended when Jefferies surrendered to avoid the certain knockout from the Galveston Giant.

Race riots broke out all across the country on that fateful Independence Day. Twenty people were killed.

Racism would be Johnson’s toughest opponent. He was forced to flee the country and was later arrested and put in jail for the “crime” of marrying a white woman. In 1968, Johnson would perish in a car crash. He was speeding away angrily from a restaurant that, because he was black, refused him service.

Due to the controversy surrounding Johnson, his grave here was originally unmarked. He was buried at the feet of his first wife, Etta, who committed suicide. In 2005, public awareness of Johnson’s life increased due to a Ken Burn’s documentary released that same year. Johnson was finally given a proper headstone. His signature is on the back.

When you’re through here, head to that red stone chapel in the distance You’ll have to meander through the grass here – careful not to trip on any of the graves! We’ll start at the garden and water fountain to the left of the chapel.