January 24, 2005

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC  20500

Dear President Bush:

Earlier this month our nation celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We paused not only to recognize his leadership, courage, and accomplishments, we also reflected on the progress we’ve made in the years since he drew the attention, as well as appealed to the best instincts, of an entire nation.

However, we still have much work to do before we can fully realize Dr. King’s dream. I believe that one of the best ways to move forward in this respect is to recognize some of the wrongs committed in the past and—to the extent that it is possible—make amends for those misdeeds.

To that end, I ask you to join me in setting the record straight and clearing the good name of one of the forgotten victims of racism, boxer Jack Johnson.  As the first African American heavyweight champion of the world, Johnson had earned the respect of fighters and fans alike for his courage and conviction both inside and outside the ring.

Unfortunately, during the height of Johnson’s career he was convicted under the Mann Act for transporting a white woman across state lines. Although the arbitrary nature of his conviction is well documented in history, it has served to push his legacy to near obscurity.

Dr. King moved our nation forward by endeavoring to upend the racial paradigm of an entire nation, freely making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of his cause. Jack Johnson moved us forward, as well, by working hard, excelling at his profession, and refusing to recognize hate-based constraints on the lives of African Americans, including the codification of racism in laws such as the Mann Act.

Certain sins of the past, such as the assassination of Dr. King, are terminal events and provide no practicable course for remedy. Others, such as the conviction of Jack Johnson, afford us an opportunity to make amends.

I urge you to seize this opportunity. With the single gesture of granting Jack Johnson a full pardon, you can demonstrate the progress that we have made as a people—moving toward an ideal of racial unity and away from a time when laws such as the Mann Act were deemed acceptable.

Sincerely,

James P. Hoffa
General President

cc:   Roger C. Adams, Pardon Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice

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