In honor of Martin Luther King Day, the story of Jack Johnson, the first black man to win the heavyweight boxing title, and the man who has made it his crusade to get Johnson's hometown of Galveston to honor him. A Ken Burns documentary runs tonight on PBS at 8 PM CST.
By the way, you can hear an MP3 of MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech here. The words on paper are plenty powerful, but hearing the man himself say them is something you just have to experience. Via Julia.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on January 17, 2005 to Other sports | TrackBackBill Gallo also wrote an interesting article about Jack Johnson in yesterday's New York Daily News.
Also, for all of the stuff Imus and his crew have done over the years, it is interesting to note that he plays the "I Have a Dream" speech in its entirety every year.
Posted by: William Hughes on January 17, 2005 8:23 AMOratorically, the "I Have A Dream" speech is as close to perfection as I have ever heard and, I suspect, ever will.
The phrase "judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" has always been my favorite. In one sentence Dr. King sums up the simple overriding goal of the Civil Rights movement with lasting logic and eloquence.
Posted by: Patrick on January 17, 2005 12:56 PM