Jack Johnson versus Jim Crow Author(s): DEREK H. ALDERMAN, JOSHUA INWOOD and JAMES A. TYNER Source: Southeastern Geographer , Vol. 58, No. 3 (Fall 2018), pp. 227-249 Published by: University of North Carolina Press Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26510077 REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26510077?seq=1&cid=pdf- reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms University of North Carolina Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Southeastern Geographer This content downloaded from 152.33.50.165 on Fri, 17 Jul 2020 18:12:03 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Jack Johnson versus Jim Crow Race, Reputation, and the Politics of Black Villainy: The Fight of the Century DEREK H. ALDERMAN University of Tennessee JOSHUA INWOOD Pennsylvania State University JAMES A. TYNER Kent State University Foundational to Jim Crow era segregation and Fundacional a la segregación Jim Crow y a discrimination in the United States was a “ra- la discriminación en los EE.UU. era una “política cialized reputational politics,” that constructed reputacional racializada,” que no solo construyó African Americans as not only inferior, but as vil- a los afroamericanos como inferiores sino tam- lainous threats to the normative order, leading to bién como amenazas villanías al status quo, algo the lynching of thousands of African Americans. que contribuyó a los linchamientos de miles de While black villainy is a destructive force within afroamericanos. Mientras que la villanía es una society, we explore it is as basis for anti-racist pol- fuerza destructiva dentro de la sociedad, en el pre- itics, when appropriated by African Amer icans. sente artículo lo exploramos como posible fuente There is a long history in African American folk- de una política anti-racista, cuando se apropia lore of celebrating the black outlaw who freely por los afroamericanos. Hay una larga historia moves about and boldly violates moral and legal en el folklórico afroamericano de celebrar el pro- norms. Early 20th century American boxer Jack scrito afroamericano quien se mueve libremente Johnson, who reigned as world heavy champion y quien rompe las normas morales y legales. El from 1908 to 1915, illustrates this complex and boxeador americano Jack Johnson del sigo XX, contested process of vilifying black bodies and quien dominó como campeón mundial del boxeo reputations during the Jim Crow era. Our paper pesado del 1908 al 1915, ilustra este contestado offers a critical, contextualized biographical y complejo proceso de vilificar el cuerpo negro y analysis of Johnson, situating his struggles within las reputaciones de la era del Jim Crow. Nuestro the wider historical geography of violent US race artículo ofrece un análisis biográfica crítica con- relations and paying close attention to the contro- textualizada de Johnson, situando su desempeño versial place he held within the white and black dentro de la geografía histórica de las relaciones public imaginaries. Importantly, the African raciales violentas de los EE.UU. y prestando at- American fighter appropriated and manipulated ención al lugar controversial que tuvo dentro del Jim Crow villainy to challenge a white racist soci- imaginario público de los blancos y los negros. ety and a conservative black establishment while El luchador afroamericano apropió y manipuló also claiming the right to live on his own terms. la villanía de la era Jim Crow para desafiar una southeastern geographer, 58(3) 2018: pp. 227–249 This content downloaded from 152.33.50.165 on Fri, 17 Jul 2020 18:12:03 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 228 alderman et al. sociedad racista blanca y un establecimiento con- being written about Jeffries, Johnson and servador negro mientras reclamaba el derecho de the ways this fight was a proxy for larger vivir de sus propios términos. questions about race and white supremacy in the United States (Johnson 1927). keywords: Boxing, critical race theory, The Johnson versus Jeffries bout, billed Jack Johnson, reputational politics, sports at the time and still remembered today by geography many boxing aficionados as “the Fight of palabras claves: Boxeo, teoría crítica de the Century,” was broadcast by the new la raza, Jack Johnson, política reputacional, “wire services” throughout the United geografía deportiva States in what was perhaps the first nation- ally broadcast sporting event in Amer ica. Given the buildup and the racialized poli- introduction tics that surrounded the fight, the air was In searing desert heat on 4 July 1910 in electric, as Johnson appeared to toy with Reno, Nevada, Jack Johnson retained his Jeffries, ultimately knocking him out of the title as world heavyweight boxing cham- fight in the 14th round Johnson ( 1927). pion. The first African American to ever win Johnson’s victory touched off a spate the heavyweight championship, Johnson of riots throughout the United States as pummeled and humiliated Jim Jeffries, whites, angered at the outcome, took out touted at the time as “the Great White their frustrations on African Americans Hope”, who had come out of retirement in communities large and small (Hie tala specifically for the purpose of winning the 2002). At the same time, segments of title back from Johnson ( Hietala 2002). the black community were emboldened Ever since Johnson had won the world by the fact that an African American held heavyweight title from Tommy Burns in the world boxing championship and the Sydney, Australia, in 1908 white people defiant ayw in which Johnson visibly trans- the world over had searched for a white gressed and arrogantly mocked the conven- fighter who could best Jack Johnson in the tions of white supremacist America. In the ring (Kent 2005). The search for “the Great words of noted historian John Blassing ame White Hope” had landed at the feet of Jim (1975, p. 5): “Privately and publicly many Jeffries, a former heavyweight champion blacks applauded Johnson’s exploits be- and farmer from California, who many at cause he defied all of the degrading cus- the time considered the greatest fighter in toms of America. He was rich when most the history of boxing. Initially reluctant to blacks were poor; free to do as he chose enter the ring, it was only after the famous when most blacks were circumscribed; author Jack London, and other commenta- and braggadocious [sic] when many blacks tors had begged Jef fries out of retirement were forced to bear their oppression in si- that he decided to fight Johnson for the lence” for fear of violent reprisals. title (Kent 2005). The buildup to the fight To understand the significance of the was immense with hundreds of reporters fight it is important to note that the box- from around the world in 110° F temper- ing ring of the late 19th and early 20th atures covering the weeklong festivities centuries was, in many respects, a micro- leading up to the fight and scores of stories cosm of US society. Championship fights This content downloaded from 152.33.50.165 on Fri, 17 Jul 2020 18:12:03 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Jack Johnson versus Jim Crow 229 were, for the most part, all-white affairs Johnson’s lopsided victory over Jeffries and the segregated boxing ring mirrored shattered the myths of black deference America’s preoccupation with keeping and inferiority. Johnson tortured his African Americans “in their place” and on opponents—especially Jeffries and Burns— the outside of the US racial hierarchy. Jack publically marking and mocking them, and Johnson, for many whites, was the embod- finally vanquishing them. Johnson would i ment of the new-found threats that perme- rule the heavyweight division for seven ated the US in the years after the end of the years, until 1915, when he lost the title to Civil War. As African Americans struggled Jess Willard—another fighter billed as a to establish themselves after the end of “the Great White Hope”—by way of slavery and as whites increasingly under- knockout in round 25 of a 45 round bout. mined the civil rights gains of black peo- Bederman (1995, p. 42) contends that by ple, the nation was entering the Jim Crow annihilating Jeffries and so many others be- era of extended racial crisis. The intensely fore Willard, Johnson implicitly challenged racist American society within which Jack the ways hegemonic discourses of civiliza- Johnson fought his opponents—which tion built powerful notions of manhood out included “Great White Hopes” such as of race. Johnson’s victory symbolized the Jeffries as well as the wider hostile white potential of black Americans to resist racial community outside the ring—was not oppression and, perhaps, to inspire some to incidental to a single boxing match but fight for racial justice (Mumford 1997, p. 6). foundational to how the sport of boxing Within the fight’s white supremacist and Johnson’s career and reputation came environment there was a clear racial di- to be understood and represented within vision of the boxers in terms of heroism America. and villainy. Jeffries was portrayed by the Thus the national spectacle of the white establishment as courageous, disci- Johnson versus Jeffries fight was not just plined, civilized and solid, while Johnson a sporting event, but it also served to test was “yellow,” savage, a braggart and a white attitudes and superiority on a grand drinker.