Jack Johnson: A Brief History Of African-American Athletes

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Some of the greatest athletes of all time are African-American. But African American athletes should be know for more than just their accomplishments on the field or court, but more for what they have done to society. Many African-Americans athletes were great civil rights leaders. Many of them succeeded more as leaders than they did as athletes. One person who is very important to the African-American sports community is Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson was the first African- American to win the heavyweight championship in boxing. He was one of the first people to prove African-Americans were as good as sports as white people were. Another important African-American was Frederick “Fritz” Pollard. Fritz was one of the first African-American to play