Jack Johnson, rebel sojourner

In his day, Jack Johnson—born in Texas, the son of former slaves—was the most famous black man on the planet. As the first African American world heavyweight champion (1908-1915), he publicly challenged white supremacy at home and abroad, enjoying the same audacious lifestyle of conspicuous consumption, masculine bravado, and interracial love wherever he traveled. Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner provides the first in-depth exploration of Johnson’s battles against the color line in places as far-flung as Sydney, London, Cape Town, Paris, Havana, and Mexico City. In relating this dramatic story, Theresa Runstedtler constructs a ground-breaking global history of race, gender, and empire in the early twentieth century.

Through extensive archival research, Runstedtler unearths Johnson’s buried legacy as a diasporic hero who inspired race pride and anticolonial consciousness in ordinary people of color around the world. He also sparked international discussions about the need to preserve global white supremacy in the modern age. This masterful retelling of Johnson’s remarkable life and the interconnected world he inhabited poses a striking challenge to the simplistic notions of colorblindness and post-racial triumph that have gained mainstream acceptance in recent years.

Theresa Runstedtler is Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Buffalo.