They crowned Jack Johnson the first Black heavyweight champion in 1908, but the fight had just begun. The Black community was overjoyed, seeing Johnson’s title as a major step toward equality. Whites i

n America, however, were often near panic. Even the New York Times wrote that “thousands of his ignorant brothers will misinterpret [Johnson’s] victory as justifying claims to more than physical equality.”

Calls went out for a “Great White Hope” to step into the ring and take away the crown. Each Johnson fight was met equally with parades, celebrations, and race riots. Johnson was aware of his impact on history and Ame

rican culture. He kept the public’s eye through bravado and by never letting people forget that a Black man was the Champ. This larger-than-life persona is perhaps Johnson’s lasting legacy, frightening to whites 

at the time, but today has inspired generations of African Americans.

More than a century later, Jack Johnson’s legacy – his rise to glory at the height of Jim Crow America continues on. James Earl Jones was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Johnson in “The Great White Hope.” Miles Davis recorded his album, “Tribute to Jack Johnson,” in 1971. Filmmaker Ken Burns produced “Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson” in 2004. The Champ appears in novels, films, songs, and even video games.

Here is Wynton Marsalis with “Jack Johnson Two-Step” from Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise of Jack Johnson.

“Soundtrack to the Struggle” is written and produced by Ron Adkins. Executive Producer Dennis Green. Hollis Monroe, host.

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Singer Dinah Washington and her sixth husband, football legend Dick “Night Train” Lane, were an unlikely pair. She wasn’t a fan of football, but she was madly in love with Night Train. They each fought bigotry in their own ways – Washington by challenging segregation in the music industry, Lane by changing the perception of Blacks in professional sports.

On the gridiron, Night Train took his hated nickname, with all its racial overtones, and made it synonymous with ferocious tackling. All those injured quarterbacks, and the force with which he hit them, are the reason for today’s face-mask and clothes-line penalties. Lane hit the color barrier with the same ferocity. At his induction into the Hall of Fame, Lane called out the NFL’s treatment of African Americans as “stepchildren” and added, “I hope Black players will band together to deal with the problem of no black coaches, no black managers, and just a few black quarterbacks in pro football.”

Both Dinah and Night Train were driven professionals, and both fought hard for equity and equality. Dinah once led her band out a bathroom window, rather than perform without Joe Zawinul – the only white musician. When the audience learned why Dinah wasn’t singing that night, they rioted in the club and onto the streets. And legend has it that Dinah once pulled a gun on a white gas station attendant. He wouldn’t let her use the bathroom.  

She would tell these stories, and others, while performing, giving her eager audiences what she called, “an education between numbers.”

Here is Dinah Washington, singing one of Night Train’s favorites, “Teach Me Tonight.”

“Soundtrack to the Struggle” is written and produced by Ron Adkins. Executive Producer Dennis Green. Hollis Monroe, host.

Podcast (soundtrack): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS