Little-Known Black History Fact: The Jack Johnson Pardon

Image by John McNab via Flickr

By: Erica Taylor, The Tom Joyner Morning Show

Sen. John McCain and New York Rep. Peter King, who pushed for a posthumous pardon for late, great heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in 2005, have recently re-opened their request. After asking for a pardon for Jackson in 2005, both the House and Senate passed resolutions unanimously. Now, with a committee that includes Rep. Charles Rangel, actor Samuel L. Jackson, retired boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, rapper Chuck D, filmmaker Ken burns and Johnson’s own great-great nieces and nephews, the push for Jackson’s pardon has been re-established for the Obama administration. CONTINUE....

Senate urges Obama to pardon first black champ

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is urging President Barack Obama to pardon the late black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, who was sent to prison nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman.

The Senate approved the resolution by voice vote Wednesday.

Senate urges Obama to pardon first black champ....

SLICK RICK PARDONED BY NY GOV.: David Paterson noted rapper's commitment to helping kids.

Slick Rick moved one step closer to putting constant threats of deportation behind him with his full and unconditional pardon Friday by New York Gov. David Paterson.


The rapper, born Ricky Walters, was convicted of attempted murder in 1991 and spent over five years in prison. The 43-year-old faced numerous attempts to deport him, even though he has lived in the U.S. since he was a child.


Rick spent over five years in prison after his 1991 conviction of attempted murder. Although he finished all of his probation requirements, he kept facing threats of deportation by INS officials.

He was arrested again in June 2002 by Immigration agents who stopped him after he returned to Miami from a weeklong Caribbean cruise, where he was a featured performer. The arrest stemmed from a 1997 Immigration and Naturalization Service warrant that had not been pursued earlier, and he spent 17 months in jail.

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