Jack Johnson: Unforgivable Blackness

I was watching this documentary Sunday. It's not the first time I've seen it. I love this documentary. Jack Johnson is a hero and I think blacks have forgotten him. Without him there could be know Joe Louis and especially no Muhammed Ali. It makes you proud to see something like this. I would watch his fights and be like wow. It shows you a time when we did have our hero's and famous people live next to us and how we tied our on shoe laces and did for ourselves. I think that blacks in this country do not have the wealth, dignity, honor, collective force of the community like they did in the earlier parts of the last century. We are always talking about how far we've come but when I look at old pictures and these types of stories, I think to myself, look at the honor on their faces, look at the strength, even the fear and pain. I then I say that's where we come from and look at us now. I don't give a damn if there is a so called black president we have not progressed at all. Jack lived in my hometown of Chicago on the South Side and it makes me proud to be from the South Side (Bronzeville). Alot of claim these hood and what not but do we know the history of them? It's black history month but it don't even feel like it. Where is the teachings of the unsung heroes and those we have forgotten like Jack Johnson. We must NEVER FORGET. The Jews don't, they teach they children this from the time they are young. And you know the Native Americans will not as well because they are still going through it and we cannot forget them either because their story is part of ours as well for most of us are descended from Native American Ancestry.

Why do they always title documentaries as the rise and fall? To me when you fall it means you have fallen from grace, honor, character. You have lost your soul, you have fallen like the angels that followed Lucifer. But we say this about people who really just "Lost". Napoleon lost but he didn't fall, Hannibal Lost he didn't fall, Jack Johnson Lost but he didn't fall. He remained himself until the day he died. He was consistent to the very end, and you can't help but to respect that. We are always letting someone else tell our story and sing the praises of our own heroes which is stupid. You let someone do that, you're letting them control your past, present, and future. Know your history and write your own history. Rise never to fall. It's ok to lose but never fall. Indeed Jack Johnson was an amazing individual flaws and all.