by Dan Perkins

The Fourth of July comes with a mix of emotions for many within the Afro-American community -- a mix consisting of pride, patriotism and an abiding dose of pain caused by a much deeper conflict over issues of identity, opportunity and full participation in America.  This year, the mix of emotions is at the fore as thousands gather in Reno, Nevada to observe the centennial of a pugilistic encounter between the then reigning heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, and his opponent, Jack Jeffries, a man who had previously held boxing's most coveted title.

On July 4, 1910, tens of thousands of people gathered under a hot Nevada sky to watch a fight that was widely marketed as the “Fight of the Century.”  Everyone in America knew the fight represented much more than a mere sporting event.  It was the embodiment of a struggle over the meaning of freedom and equality which lay at the nation's founding and which persist to this today.

At the top of the sport was a man who many regarded as an uppity, brash Negro who had overstepped the socially proscribed limits of a Black man.

As boxing emerged from its shadowy origins, and advanced into the realm of public respectability, those with influence decided to reserve the  premier positions for white fighters.  The growing masses who embraced the sport, equated boxing with physical and mental supremacy; and it was essential to many that the notion of white supremacy be reflected in the sport. 

When Jack Johnson was denied the opportunity to compete for the title in the United States, he boarded a ship to Australia to contend against Tommy Burns, the reigning heavyweight champion from Canada.  As Australia was not constrained by America’s particular brand of racial obsession, it welcomed the opportunity to host the title fight between the two men.  After Johnson defeated Burns, critics in America lambasted both men and dubbed Jim Jeffries as the world's only “legitimate” champion. 

Jack Jeffries had retired from boxing in 1905 undefeated and with the championship title intact.  However, by 1909 the idea of a Black world champion was so intolerable that scores of white Americans begged him to come out of retirement.  It was author Jack London who encapsulated this sentiment by dubbing Jeffries the “Great White Hope."

As white Americans gathered to watch the fight with hopeful anticipation that the "natural order of things" would be restored, it was clear that their notions of "Independence" involved social and racial stratification.  Not even the massive bloodletting that was the American Civil War could excise the notion of a racial hierarchy from the American psyche.

Independence Day celebrations are intended to commemorate great national achievements and to focus on the patriotic ideals.  More specifically, Americans like to believe that their Independence Day celebrates the triumph of freedom and democracy over tyranny.  However, various forms of tyranny continued to reign within the boundaries of the young nation.  Women and people of color presented a particular challenge to the Founding Fathers, and their failure to institute equality to ALL Americans has generated conflicted responses that continue to the this very day.

Fredrick Douglass, a former slave, was among the first social commentators to underscore the inconsistencies of Independence Day celebrations.  In a speech delivered July 4, 1841, Douglass asked, "What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? Douglass prefaced his question by stating,

"The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men.  They were great men, too ... great enough to give frame to a great age.  It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men.  The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration.  They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory ..."

While Fredrick Douglas verbally fought for the inclusion of people of color and women, Jack Johnson fought on Independence Day for the right to remain world champion.  In essence, he was also fighting for the right of all Black people to achieve their God-given greatness. 

Much has improved in the one hundred years since that fight, and we can take pride in the fact that many professional athletes and entertainers of color are found among the nation’s top income earners.  Nevertheless, rarely does such wealth translate into sustainable business enterprises.  Consequently, profound disparities and inconsistencies prevail for many “ordinary” people of color.

Today opportunities abound in America that were never available to Jack Johnson.  Nevertheless, these are tempered by the disparities in the justice system and socio-economic conditions.  To view this situation through the lens of the Johnson-Jeffries Fight of the Century, the simple truth is that America still has many rounds to go before it knocks out social injustice once and for all.

Considering the impact of the recent economic meltdown upon the African American community, Douglas' words resonate with special meaning.  Consider them in light of the actions taken by the financial institutions who have devastated communities with their callous pursuit of home foreclosures despite having originated mortgages that were not only inappropriate but  were bundled and sold worldwide in an attempt to defuse any long-term accountability.

Today, the fight is systemic in nature.  Consider the usurious rates and predatory practices that many large financial institutions have perpetrated against debt-laden consumers.  Consider the stranglehold these institutions have over both political parties in our country and over both houses of the Congress.  Think about the many small businesses that have folded because most financial institutions receiving billions in subsidies from taxpayers preferred to pay out billions in bonuses to their employees rather than provide adequate lines of credit where needed. 

This Independence Day, as I reflect on Douglas’ observations and the implications of the Johnson-Jeffries fight, it is clear that the struggle continues.  Yet, America is a country which has risen to greatness each time it faces its flaws and remembers that our unique national ideals must be applied to ALL Americans if they are to have real meaning for any of us.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Happy Fourth of July and may we work together to bring forth the full realization of this Dream!