WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain on Friday pressed President Barack Obama to give a posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, the black heavyweight boxing champion who was imprisoned nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman.
McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., noted in a letter to Obama that both houses of Congress this summer passed their resolution urging a pardon. After the vote, the lawmakers wrote to Obama in August asking him to issue the pardon.
"Regrettably, we have not received a response from you or any member of your administration," they wrote in Friday's letter, adding they hoped that Obama would be eager to "right this wrong and erase an act of racism that sent an American citizen to prison."
The White House had no immediate comment.
Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion on Dec. 26, 1908 -- 100 years before Obama was elected the first black president. Johnson won the _title_ after police in Australia stopped his 14-round match against the severely battered Canadian world champion, Tommy Burns.....
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4565549
