Jack Johnson

Jack was born on October 2, 1911 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His birth name was John Finney, but was changed to Walter Braden Finney after his father died when he was only three. Although his name was changed in honor of his father, the nickname of ‘Jack’ stuck and he was referred to as Jack for the rest of his life. He spent most of his childhood years in the town of Forest Park, which is right outside of Chicago.

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born January 31, 1919. He was born in Cairo, Georgia and was the youngest of five children. He had a grandfather that was a slave, Jackie’s dad was a sharecropper and Mallie, Jackie’s mother, was a maid. His dad ran away from the family when Jackie was only an infant.

Born in Galveston on March 31,1878 to Henry and Tiny Johnson was the worlds first African American heavy weight champion of the world, Arthur (Jack) Johnson.

Evander Holyfield was a professional boxer who was nearly unbeatable. After getting disqualified in the Olympics, for knocking out his opponent after the referee said stop, Holyfield beat Buster Douglas in 1984. In 1888 he won in the Cruiserweight championship. Two years later in 1990 he beat Buster Douglas in the heavyweight title. He took a five year break after that fight. In 1995 Mike Tyson challenged him and he accepted. Evander Holyfield won in a judge's decision to regain the title. Once again in 1997 Mike called for a rematch. This time was a lot more interesting because Holyfield was winning and Tyson got frustrated and bit off Holyfield's ear. Of course Evander won

Joe Louis moved to Detroit as a youngster with his mother. He was the first African American ever to achieve lasting fame and star status in the 20th Century. He did so with boxing, he would capture the hearts of millions of American's, both white and black.

People are judged through their actions and characteristics, but racism can easily blur a person’s perspective. In Almost Free: A Story About Family and Race in Antebellum Virginia, Samuel Johnson, a former slave, fights for his freedom with the help of influential white friends he made throughout his life. Eventually he buys his freedom and petitions the court to stay in Virginia, where his family resides. Even after emancipated, he works hard to free his family and petitions the court in their cause. Despite his relationships, family values, and law abiding, Samuel Johnson’s skin color ultimately acts as boundary in his Virginia society.

When Louis was named the heavyweight champion he felt that he needed to beat Schmeling to prove that he truly was the best boxer in the world. On June 22 1938 the two boxers would fight a rematch. This fight had much greater social and racial meaning to Americans than just a simple boxing match. How did the Joe Louis

Muhammad Ali was a boxer because of his prominent role as a Civil Rights Activist. He stood up for what he believed

On March 8, 1971, Ali took on Joe Frazier, and lost. It was his first loss. Also in 1971, the charges he faced for the draft evasion conviction in 1967 were reversed by the Supreme

Lyndon B. Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, in a small community in Stonewall, Texas. Life was hard and plain at that time for the Johnson family. Lyndon’s father,

Jack Kilby had a typical childhood with two parents, Hubert Kilby, an electrical engineer, and Vina Freitag. Jack Kilby was born on November 8, 1923 in Jefferson City, Missouri. He was hooked to the radio as a young boy. He even called it amateur radio buff. Kilby went on to serve in the military during World War II. He was stationed in India as a technician, even before attending school in the United States on the G.I. Bill.

Samuel Johnson, despite being an enslaved African American, was widely respected and was looked at as an honorable man by many of the upper class, white males in Virginia. Men such as Edward Digges, Johnson’s owner, and John Scott, a local lawyer, aided Johnson in his plan to achieve freedom. Johnson worked in the Tavern where some of the most influential people in the country were present daily. His relationships with these men grew and they began to see that Johnson was a man of character so when he fought for his freedom, they supported him and vouched for him. Johnson and Edward Digges, his owner, came to an agreement that for a wage of $500 he would be granted freedom, but would be required to leave the state of Virginia. This is a great example of how even though he was called a freeman, he was not free to live in the state that he loved and grew up in. In Early

Yesterday, I was granted the opportunity, as a New York Film, Academy “alumni”, to attend a Q&A given by producer, Jack Rapke, preceded by a screening of his newest film, “The Walk” which is based on a true story. The movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (whom Rapke called “Joe”) who plays French tightrope walker Phillippe Petit who in 1974, strung a rope connecting the buildings of the world trade center then tightrope walked across it. The movie, directed by Robert Zemeckis (who Rapke called “Bob”), starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who, much to my surprise, did all of his own stunts and speaks fluent French. His acting performance paired with the fact that he had to switch off speaking French and speaking English with a French accent while also balancing tediously on a tightrope was nothing short of astounding. Even with an all-star cast and crew, the movie flopped at the box office.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. later known as Muhammad Ali, was a black boxer, and was proud of it. Many African Americans were ashamed of their color, but Ali was different. He was the first boxer to win the Heavyweight Championship 3 different times. He had a great personality and was liked by the people. During his life, he made big decisions that changed the course of his life completely. Muhammad Ali's journey through life was a great inspiration for African American people, but Ali himself deserves the admiration of everyone.

In the book, The Name of the Star, a teenage girl named Aurora, but goes by Rory, is moving to London to go to a boarding school. Rory’s parents are both a philosopher in college. London has the most cameras around, called CCTV cameras. Jack the Ripper is one of the most famous murderers. He used to go around London and kill people in creative ways. Well that was all in the 19th century. Now, there’s someone now going around and pretending to be the present Jack the Ripper. He killed them mostly in the same ways and in the same places. The only problem was that, only few people could see him. People under the age of eighteen who have had near-death experiences develop the ability to have the sight. The sight is when you can see people after they died. So they can basically see ghosts. The Ripper was a ghost. A ghost who can frantically go around and kill people. He can’t be seen on the CCTV cameras, so the only people who can see him is the people who have the sight. He soon realized that Rory can see him and he goes after her, making her his next target.